Don't Blink
by Hasty Hastings
Summary: Set five years after "We Fall Together." Hanna and Caleb are living in New York with their son, right out of college. As if they didn't realize the weight of the world was already on their shoulders, they will soon experience what life is like once that weight gets a little heavier.
1. These Are the Days

**A/N** As promised here's the sequel/continuation of my story "We Fall Together." I am so thrilled to get to share this with you, and to know it will be just as admired as the previous one. As always, I can't thank you enough for all of your response with the last one, and so I do expect to learn what you think of this story so far.  
**  
****Disclaimer**I don't own any part of the Pretty Little Liars franchise. With good reason. I do own Cooper and any other original characters!

* * *

_-These are the days__  
__Never before and never since, I promise.-__**  
**_

* * *

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR COOPER, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" Belted Hanna, Caleb and Ashley.

"Buddy, how many candles did Mom put on your cake?" Asked Caleb from behind the camcorder. Cooper squinted with confusion.

Hanna leaned over the dessert, plunging a cake knife into it and cutting a slice."Honey, how old are you? Count your candles."

"One, two, fr-three, fouh, five." The tiny child struggled to pronounce the numbers through the amount of icing in his mouth. He'd been sneaking some out of the can as his mother iced the chocolate cake.

"Good job, Coop." Ashley encouraged the boy.

Hanna stopped licking the frosting off of her fingers before asking. "What'd you wish for, baby?"

"Momma," Cooper stressed. "If I told you what I wished fow, it wouldn't come twue. Duh!"

"Okay, mister. You need to quit spending so much time with your Aunt Aria." Caleb laughed and ruffled the kid's thick, dark tufts.

"Hey, I resent that!" Poked Aria herself, as she entered the flat, a bag of gifts in hand.

"Aunt Ari!" Cooper cried.

Hanna gaped. "You liar! You said you'd be out of town until tomorrow!"

"Ezra's book tour ran short. The Starbucks in the Barnes and Noble in Jersey had an incident with their espresso maker and had to close for the rest of the day, so we hopped on the train." She explained.

Caleb butted in quickly. "Where is he?"

"Downstairs dropping off the bags."

Cooper then climbed down from his booster seat, running over to the tiny woman. He peeked in the bags she had set down by the fireplace. "What did you get me, Aunt Ari?"

"Cooper Collins!" Scolded Hanna.

Aria giggled, also taking part in ruffling the adorable boy's hair. "Well if you can be patient and wait for Uncle Z, I will let you open them when he comes up."

"Okay! I'll be patient." Cooper explained, sitting down at his little oak desk he'd gotten earlier in the week from his Uncle Toby and Aunt Spencer. It was really a cute little gift. Toby had built it, of course, and Spencer had painted it green and put Cooper's initials on the top face in little brown letters under the indention for writing utensils. When they had asked the boy what he wanted for his big day, he had simply said a desk. He was quite the artist. Nothing impressive yet, but nothing that couldn't be encouraged. Hanna always thought he was going to grow up to be an architect, the way he was so precise with it all.

"I can't believe he is already five!" Cried Aria as she sat with Hanna and Ashley at the kitchen table.

Ashley took a sip of her wine and a thought came to her. "Ari, when are you and Ezra going to give Ella a little one?"

"As if I don't hear that every day, already!" Aria groaned.

"Hold on, Mom, she's only been married for a minute!"

"Three years." Corrected Ashley.

"Still, some couples like to be alone before starting a family. Remember, you had me after four years."

"I got married at twenty-two, and that's only one more year. Times were different then, four years was an eternity."

Before either woman could argue, Ezra and Caleb burst through the front door, Caleb with a medium sized cardboard box.

"Daddy, what's that?" The boy asked from his seat at the desk.

"It's a surprise." Said his mother.

"Happy Birthday, C-Man!" Ezra exclaimed as Caleb set the box down on the floor.

"Oh my Gosh!" The child screamed, crawling to the floor. He giggled maniacally as a tiny puff of a dog jumped out of the box and into his owner's lap.

"Oh that's so darn cute, Mom get the camera!" Hanna cried.

"You like him, buddy?" Asked Ezra.

"I love him! Thank you!" He then stopped for a second, looking at everyone in the room. "Are you sure Mom won't think he's too messy?"

The room erupted with laughs and Hanna smiled guiltily. She often could be found scolding her young son for being too reckless with his washable markers and too sloppy with his spaghetti.

"No, he's alright." Smiled Hanna. "But don't thank us, this is all from Nana Claudia."

"Yeah?" Asked Cooper as he rubbed the puppy's belly.

"Mhmm, Uncle Jamie and Uncle Clay picked him out." Caleb informed his son. "He's a baby cairn terrier, but he doesn't have a name." He then got down to floor level with the kid. "What do you think we should name him?"

Cooper stopped for a minute, pausing to think hard for a name. "Can I name him Poop?"

"No, you cannot name him Poop." Said Hanna, stifling a laugh.

"Okay then," he looked down at the little white fur ball and sighed. "What about Happy?"

Ashley giggled "Why happy, honey?"

"Because that's what this present makes me!"

"I think Happy is a great name, Coop." Hanna told him, leaning over and running her fingers through the dog's golden fur.

"Yay, Happy! You're going to love it here!" Exclaimed Cooper. "We're going to play lots of games and read so many books together! And if you're good, I bet Momma would let you sleep in my room."

"Don't get too excited, buddy. He brought his cage with him for a reason." Caleb reminded the boy.

Later on after the presents were finished, the men took Cooper and Happy on a walk before bed. The women stayed in the cramped apartment while Aria shared stories from Ezra's book tour over wine.

"What was it like to meet his fans? Did you get jealous?" The blonde inquired.

Aria shook her head, swallowing her beverage. "He didn't have a lot of those kinds of fans. I sat right beside him. If any came too close, all I had to do was flash the big boy!" She said in reference to her large diamond ring that Ezra had proposed to her with. Since he had plenty of time to wait before proposing, he saved a large amount of dough to pay for the almost two carat rock.

"I know how that works." Ella mumbled, taking a long swig of wine.

"Mom, stop." Hanna said. She looked to Aria. "What are you and Ezra planning to do when the tour subsides?"

"Actually, we were thinking about moving back home to Rosewood around Christmas or the new year."

"Wait, you're not staying in the city?" Hanna freaked.

Aria shook her head and smiled. "I'll find work somewhere part time while Ezra teaches back at Hollis. He was offered the chair position in the English department. In the meantime he hopes to continue writing, which will be easier in Rosewood where it's quiet."

Ashley smiled. "That's wonderful, I'm sure Ella will adore the idea."

"She's really excited about the prospect of having us around more. Especially with Mike at UCLA, it's been a lonely year for her."

"I'm happy for you, Ari. It sounds like everything is falling into place for you guys." Hanna replied, running her finger along the rim of her glass.

"Is something going on at work, Han?" Ashley asked.

"Uh, nothing is wrong. Caleb's been with his same people at RCA downtown, which is fine. But I know he's been wanting to move forward with his career, and nothing's really happening in that area. No one is really hiring right now." She explained. "But I still have my spot at Glam, and I do love it there, but I feel like I am missing out on my son's life." She turned to Ella. "That tooth he was so pumped over loosing? His babysitter pulled it out on Wednesday after lunch. And she didn't even have the decency to text me and tell me it happened!"

"Then come back home. You can move back in with me. You can spend as much time with your son as you want before he's off to grade school." Her mother suggested.

"No, mom. We have worked too hard to throw this away. Besides, I like where we are."

Aria squinted "Even if we're all in Pennsylvania?"

"You'll only be a day trip away. It's not like we live in Montecito."

"Well I think that Ezra and Aria are right for moving back. It will be perfect when they start their family." Ashley concluded.

"You know, speaking of adding to the bunch, are you and Caleb trying for another soon?" Aria asked.

Hanna blushed. "No way, are you kidding? The time just isn't great."

"Okay, but soon?" Asked her mother. Hanna glared at her. "You saw Cooper with that dog, he was smitten! Imagine him with a little sister."

"No, we're not having anymore anytime soon and that's final." Stressed the blonde.

"You never know, one look at Spencer's little girl and you could be changing your mind." Aria sang.

Spencer and Toby had surprised everyone at Easter with the news of a new baby. The two hadn't yet set a date for their wedding. It came as quite the surprise to their friends. Spencer was in her fourth year at UPenn, planning on enroll ing in law school the spring after He gave birth.

"Maybe you will get baby fever then, too!" She mocked her friend.

"Seriously though, you should think about it." Ashley retorted.

"I will not THINK about it. Not for a while anyway." She grumbled, sitting back in her chair.

* * *

"Are you going in for an interview at Siemens tomorrow?" Hanna asked her husband as she pulled back the throw pillows on their bed and climbed under the covers.

He shook his head shamefully. "No, they couldn't get me in until next Thursday. It's been busy there, and since their system's down, the repairs are too expensive to be hiring so quickly."

"It's not your fault. Don't worry tok much."

He climbed in next to her and pulled the covers over himself."But I do worry, Han. I should be able to keep a steady income."

"Caleb, stop it. You've still got your internship, they kept you after grad, and that's great. It doesn't happen to a lot of students. We're really lucky." She said, cuddling into him.

"Yeah, but now that I've been graduated for a year, I should start looking for a more permanent position somewhere else. My job is great, but it's not really a flexible position. And I want a position with the correct salary that I'm qualified to earn. I wouldn't have gone through all that school if I wasn't focused on the salary. It's a big one, and we deserve it."

"Yes we do, but you deserve to slow down." She rubbed the back of his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Don't stress yourself out. It's not like the corporation will go down. We can last."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't keep an eye out."

"No, it doesn't. So don't worry about it. If you find something, that will be wonderful, but for now you need to focus on the important things. Like me and Coop."

"I know," he sighed, kissing her forehead and snapping off the bedside lamp.

As Hanna turned herself over and closed her eyes, she silently became overcome with worry. Despite what she had told her mom, in reality her job was awful. The hours had increased and the minimum pay wasn't ideal either. When Cooper had been a toddler, most of his milestones happened around either her or Caleb. She wasn't enjoying the parties on the weekends because they messed up her entire family schedule. Quitting just wasn't an option.

**Do you like this? Should I continue? Please tell me what you think! And if you want to see anything in this story, please don't forget to mention it in your review! Don't be shy, either, I'm really curious for any ideas.**


	2. Dare You to Move

**A/N **Who enjoyed that poorly edited little diddy of a first chapter? Pretty professional, huh? Can y'all believe it's only the second day, and I'm updating? Crazy!

**Disclaimer **I don't own any part of the Pretty Little Liars franchise, but I do take credit for Cooper. He is my precious baby-boo. Awkward...

_**- Welcome to the fallout,**_

_**Welcome to resistance.**_

_**The tension is here**_

_**Tension is here -**_

**Five Months Later...**

It's hard to be left alone, in such a big world. Life is what you make it, or at least that's what some people seem to believe. Those people who make the stupid sayings up are the one's who _are _happy. And there are very few of those, so it shouldn't even count. However, it is true that you make do with what you have and learn to except what you don't.

Friends. Hanna had a lot of them, keyword being _had. _In the beginning of high school, she was it _It girl. _She had it all; friends, followers, suitors, everything. And all within reasonable distance. Yet as she stood on the front steps of the Fitz's apartment building, watching her best friend boss around the group of movers, Hanna felt completely alone.

As planned, Aria and Ezra were moving back to Rosewood, a little earlier than planned. And that was great, because it's what they wanted out of life. They were more than happy when they were together; they had time for each other. Hanna didn't know what she wanted. She did know that she _loved _what she had. Caleb and Cooper were her rock(s). Life without them was unimaginable. Still, she longed for more out of life. Her job was at a stand-still, while Caleb's was on the rocks. She had no time for herself anymore. No time for Cooper, or Caleb either. In July, Caleb's company had been discussing cuts in employees and salary, none of which they could afford to go without. Even though he had been working over-time, Caleb's pay had reduced 2%, and he was forced to take a second job in the night time, which made it even harder for him to search for better jobs.

Their love life was no better. Even when they had two seconds together for any sort of intimacy, things were quickly ruined either by work or simple life. In just five short months, they had become distant. Going from sex at least twice a week to_ maybe _once a month. Hanna couldn't begin to count those times when they just laid in bed, silent.

The worst part was Cooper. After trying all kinds of methods of keeping up with a dog in the city, they had decided that there wasn't enough time for them to pay attention to Happy. With much convincing, Cooper finally settled for his best friend to move with his aunt and uncle to Pennsylvania. This broke his heart almost as much as Caleb not being there at night to read him his books had. Whenever Hanna had tried, she was confronted with "_But Daddy uses cool voices._"

The blonde shivered in the passing of the cool October breeze as she walked down the steps to the moving van. She handed Aria a mug of coffee and sighed. "So this is it, isn't it?"

"Mmm, yes it is." murmured the brunette as she warmed her fingers around the mug.

"You'll come back to visit, won't you?"

"Eventually," Aria replied smartly with a smirk.

"Will you at least make it back for our annual Christmas shopping spree at Barney's and Macy's?"

The brunette looked amused. "That's never been a tradition. But I'll try my hardest to come back as long as you come with us to Pennsylvania for the rest of the holiday. And then we can take Cooper ice skating. Just like we did when we were growing up."

Hanna sighed. "This is so surreal. You're actually leaving New York City to go back to stuffy old Rosewood."

"Maybe it's stuffy, Han, but it's home. New York is big and loud, and people are all pushy and strange. I know people in Rosewood, at least. It's where Ezra wants to be, and for great reason." She shifted her position on the step, sipping again on her coffee. "I'm not going to let him give up this opportunity. It's a good one and he's really excited."

"I know, I'm just being a big baby." The blonde rested her head on the other woman's shoulder. "Maybe I should suggest moving back to my husband, though I'm not sure how Caleb would feel."

Aria ran her fingers through Hanna's hair. "If you feel it's best, and that it would make you happy, then I think you should. But you shouldn't let Ezra and I moving away be your catalyst for doing so. Nor should you let this ruin the good in your life. You're only twenty-two, you have plenty of time to turn it around."

"Maybe you're right."

"Maybe, but I know how happy you are here."

Hanna pulled her head up and sighed shakily, tears sparkling in her eyes. "I'm not happy. Not now, at least. And I don't know what to do anymore, it's like me and Caleb are stuck. I don't know how to pick up the pieces."

Aria set her mug down on the brick step and wrapped her arms around her friend, rubbing her hands up and down her back. "I know, honey. I know it may seem like everything is falling apart, but it isn't. Not yet. What you need is to confront Caleb. Tell him that you're unhappy. Not in a way that will make it seem like his fault, because its not. Just let him know that you need help to feel happy again."

"I know. I should, but I'm just scared of being rejected." Hanna whimpered.

"What do you mean?"

She took in a deep breath and shook the emotion from her face. "What if he does blame it all on me? Maybe he doesn't _want_ to help me."

"Don't say that, don't you dare." Scolded the tiny girl. "He loves you, and he would never be that stupid."

"We have, in a way, grown apart the last few months. Anything could come out of his mouth. That's what I'm afraid of." She confessed.

Aria hugged her closer. "Well lets hope it doesn't come to anything terrible."

**-:-**

That night after Caleb returned home from his night job as the manager of a bistro down the block, he and Hanna were simultaneously preparing for bed there was a phone call.

Curiously, Hanna left the bathroom and made her way over to the phone on the dresser. She pressed the 'talk' button. "Hello?"

"_Hi, is Caleb Rivers available?_" A low, feminine voice asked.

The woman's voice wasn't recognizable. The only thing Hanna could make out was that she was British. Worry crept over the her as she tried to think of reasons why this person would be calling for Caleb at ten o'clock at night. Earlier in the week she'd had some suspicions about a number written on a napkin she found in his pants pocket as she folded laundry, and when his collar smelled of Burberry perfume. Surely there was nothing Hanna needed to feel concerned over, but Caleb and her hadn't actually had any real, considerable conversations within the last week or so.

Not knowing what else to say or do, Hanna panicked and waved Caleb over before handed the phone to her husband. "Hello?" He answered wearily, yawning away from the reciever.

Hanna decided that she really had nothing to worry about, and walked into the bathroom to change into her nightgown. Then she heard something she couldn't ignore. She peeked her head slyly around the edge of the closet's door.

"Stop putting so much pressure on me," her husband whispered playfully. "I don't know if we can meet there then, my wife might suspect something. No, trust me I want this so much, more than you may think. I understand, you only have so much time in the day. Okay, I'll text you later." He hung up the phone and climbed into bed.

The closet door flung open suddenly, banging loudly as it slammed against the wall.

"Who the hell was that?" Hanna hissed, nearly scaring Caleb to the point of falling on the floor.

"No one important." He grimaced.

Hanna strode over to her side of the bed, climbing on and sitting upwards. "Then why were you scared of me suspecting something? I know that was a woman, Caleb, don't pretend you're innocent. I'm as clueless as some would think."

He turned away from her on his back, settling his head in the pillow. "She's no one, calm down." he stated simply, as if it were not big deal.

"No!" She gaped. "If you want to fool around with some hoe, then be my guest, but don't be surprised when you get home one night to find me and your son _gone_."

She could make out his groan before he rolled back over to face her. "Why would I 'fool around' with another woman? Is that really what this relationship has come to, you not being able to trust me?"

"Oh, please! You're the one practically blurting out your special plans!" She stopped for a second to draw in another shaky breath. Then turning back to him, she asked quietly. "Who is she?"

He sighed. "Her name is Madeline Agnes."

"Even sounds like a hooker." She mumbled under her breath.

"She isn't an escort."

"Oh, a stripper, even better."

Caleb sat up and glared at her. "Would you stop this?" He hesitated before continuing. "Madeline happens to be in charge of scouting new employees for Grayson Corporations."

"The tech plant based in Philly?"

He nodded. "She wants to interview me for a position as senior developer in the innovations lab. She saw a lot of the work I did with RCA developments last year and thinks I'm what they're looking for!"

"Oh," At first Hanna was confused but that was soon replaced by excitement. "Oh, that's great!"

"I know!" he smiled. "But nothing's set in stone just yet. That's why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to feel let down in case I don't get it."

"Baby, you know it wouldn't matter. There are going to be plenty of opportunities in the future. Maybe not right away, but soon." She consoled him.

He nodded, reaching for her hand from his shoulder and pulling her closer to where she sat facing him on the bed. "I know, but this would be a really great thing for us. We'd have to move back to Rosewood, but at least we have our family there."

Hanna paused for a second. "That's what I want."

He glanced up at her. "You do?"

She nodded. "Now that Aria and Ezra have moved back, we have nothing left for us here. It's our fault we didn't make any new friends while living here," he chuckled at this. Hanna grabbed his other hand and squeezed it.

Caleb smiled. "I'll be honest, I have missed it. New York is just...too big."

"And unfriendly."

"So is Rosewood." He teased. "At least it's physically quieter."

Hanna giggled. "And they have the decency to wait until you have your back turned to say something about you, instead of screaming it right in your face, along with their hotdog-breath."

"True." Caleb agreed. Taking Hanna's face into his hands, he smiled. They hadn't had a moment like this in a long time. It was nice to know they could so easily get back to the bright souls they were. In truth, they both thought that being around each other would become awkward, being they hadn't been so close.

"Are you going to meet with Madeline, then?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Hopefully tomorrow will be my final interview before my stuff gets sent to corporate."

Hanna crawled back under the sheets and stayed facing Caleb, smiling as he did the same. "I know you're gonna get this, you have it in the bag. When will they tell you their decision?"

"I hope so. This job could mean so many things for me. For us. We could get our own house, a decent-sized one with a yard."

"Yeah, Coop would have a ball with Happy. I could find a job somewhere part-time."

"What about your job at Glam?" he asked.

Hanna made a putrid face and giggled. "It's all become quite boring. You also get pretty guilty when your son cries the first day of school because you're not the one picking him up. I just miss my baby."

"I know. It seems like we never have any time for him."

"If we don't do something about that soon, we'll have an emotional wreck on our hands."

"Or things will go well and he turns out like Spencer." they laughed, him a little more than her.

"If you don't get this job, does that mean we can't relocate to Rosewood anyway?" she asked.

"Nah, we're definitely moving back."

**-:-**

The next evening was a Friday night, which meant it was movie night when Caleb got off work. Hanna was on the floor, folding laundry as the popcorn popped wildly. When the beeper sounded and she got up to retrieve her snack, her husband could be heard booming up the steps of the building and to the door.

Barging through the threshold came Caleb with a grin on his face from ear to ear. "Hanna!"

She stepped out of the kitchen with the bowl of popcorn and a look of amusement on her face. "What?" she giggled.

The paper bag he had carried in was torn open as he pulled out a large glass bottle. "You'll never believe what happened tonight!"

"Hm, I don't know, did you get the job?" she teased.

"Actually, no."

"What," she nearly dropped the bowl "Oh I'm so sorry!"

"I didn't get the Siemens job, which sucks because it's convenient. I did, however, get the job at Grayson!"

Hanna's mouth flew open. "You did not!"

As he nodded, she squealed and threw herself into his arms, spinning around. "I'm so proud of you!" she kissed him over and over. "This is amazing! I love you_ so much_!"

Caleb kissed her back equally as turned on. Luckily he had taken time to set the bottle of champagne on the counter before catching her mid-leap. "I'm so excited, babe. You don't even understand, this is great. There were four other guys up for the position. But none of them had such impressive backgrounds. I was the only Ivy League applicant."

"That's awesome, I'm so proud to call you mine." she whispered as he lowered her back to the floor.

Suddenly there was another shadow lingering in the living room as Cooper tottered over sleepily.

"What's happening?" he whispered. "Why is Mommy cwying?"

Hanna quickly wiped the tears which she hadn't even realized were falling and got down on her knees to her son's level. "Daddy got a job, honey."

The five-year-old gave his parents another confused look. "Huh?"

Caleb then joined the two on the floor. "You know when Mrs. Mabry picks the most behaved student to sit on the magic carpet with her at story time?" The child nodded.

"Well, Daddy got picked to help some really cool people at work because he's the smartest student." finished the blonde.

"Congratulations, Daddy." said Cooper proudly. Then he was grabbed by his middle and taken into Caleb's arms where his parents began tickling him. "Thank you, Buddy." he replied.

Cooper was soon let go and taken by his mother, who wanted to cuddle. "Now we get to go on a big adventure. We're going to leave this apartment and move into a big house, Hon," she whispered.

"Why?"

"Because it's closer to my work." his father answered simply.

"But I like it here, my fwiends live here. Who lives at the new house?"

"Nana Ashley does. So do Uncle Ezra and Aunt Aria, and Uncle Toby and Aunt Spencer. But guess what the best part is?"

"Hm?"

"We get to take Happy with us in our new house! And you'll have a yard to play with him in, and teach him lots of tricks." explained Hanna.

"Really?" the parents nodded. "This is gonna be so fun, Mom."

Hanna burst out a laugh, "I know, Cooper, it will be."

And with that, the little family all cuddled together for movie night, Cooper included since it was such a special occasion for them.

They couldn't wait to be back home.

**-:-**

**I hope you enjoyed this installment!**

**PLEASE, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell everyone about this story! I'm afraid that many people won't read it because on the story post's description, it says this story is only a few words long, which we all know isn't true. I don't want to prevent anyone from missing out on this. (not that there's much to miss)**

**Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!**


	3. Home is Wherever I'm With You

**A/N **Thank you for coming back for a third chapter! You're amazing. I promise, all of this bulk is just leading to the real story ahead. I have a lot planned for this puppy and I can't wait to be able to share it with all of you, and I'm so excited that you like it!

**Disclaimer **I don't own any part of the Pretty Little Liars franchise. I do however, own Cooper and any other original characters thrown about.

_- Home, let me go home  
Home is wherever I'm with you  
Home, let me go home  
Home is when I'm alone with you -_

"It's so big in here!" Exclaimed Cooper as he spun around the third floor Village apartment. When he was finally too dizzy, he collapsed on the floor in a fit of giggles.

"Careful, kid. Don't wanna crack your head open on the worn out wall trim." Hanna warned.

"Okay, but don't worry." He assured her. "I have perrrfect balance!"

She giggled and tore a piece of mover's tape off its roll, laying it across the top of a package. "Whatever, Spidey!"

It was nearing three weeks later and the young Rivers family was in the process of moving out of their little Village apartment and back to Rosewood. Everything in the flat had been for the most part packed into boxes and Caleb was helping the movers fill the truck.

To Cooper's entertainment and delight, the floor of the living room had never been so spacious to play in. Ever since the couch and television had been packed and away, the kid had made himself busy playing gymnast on the harsh, thinly carpeted floor.

"Mommy, I could fit my whole entire race car set on the floor!" He told her as he ran back and forth across the room.

Hanna blew a strand of her bangs that stuck out of her messy braid and sighed. She took another piece from the tape roll and ripped it over the rigid blade. "I know, baby. And I can fit my whole fist in my mouth. But you need to settle down, okay? It's too early to be horsin' around in here, you're gonna wake up the neighbors downstairs."

The couple that had taken up residence in the Fitz's former apartment one floor down was awful. The neighborhood in general was a fairly youthful scene and the couple, who clearly bordered on retirement, was very uptight. Their lights were already out by ten o'clock in the evening when Caleb would arrive home from the bistro and they rarely slept after nine in the morning. Hanna couldn't wait to move back to where everyone was friendly and courteous, and no one acted like they were permanently constipated.

The Rivers were planning to arrive back in Rosewood later that day, but had gotten up at five in the morning to clean the empty apartment before getting on the road.

Soon after Cooper had settled down, Caleb entered the apartment with a large paper bag. "Who's ready to move?" He asked his son.

Hanna stood up from her place sealing boxes on the floor, crossing her arms over her chest. "Depends. What's in the bag?" She asked curiously, trying to hide her eagerness to eat something.

"I got bagels from that place down the street we used to go to every Saturday until last year."

"Why did we stop?" Cooper asked. Hanna nodded, also joining in his inquisitiveness.

He sighed and laughed a little. "They found mice in their freezer. But that was nine months ago, and they're under new management now." Caleb shoved the paper bag on the counter.

"Ah!" Hanna said with glee. She stood up off the floor and proceeded to take the bag from the kitchen and dig for her favorite kind; cheddar. "Coops, which flavor do you want?" She asked, licking creamed cheese she had been spreading on the already cheesy morsel off her fingers.

The boy placed his index finger to his chin in deep decision. Then he perked up. "Is there cinnamon?"

Hanna nodded and pulled out a cinnamon bagel. She pulled a napkin out of the drawer and offered it up. "Here, C."

The boy took the bagel and chomped into it. He swallowed and smiled, showing his tooth that had almost grown back. "Daddy, did you see how big the living room is with no stuff in it?"

Caleb nodded, taking a bite of his chocolate chipped treat. "Yeah, buddy. I think you could fit your whole race track in here."

"That's what I said!" Cried Cooper.

Hanna wiped her mouth and threw the napkin that had held her bagel in the trash, she turned to Caleb and asked. "Are we ready to head out?"

"As soon as the car I called for us arrives. Then we will be Rosewood bound." He replied.

As soon as Cooper had finished his breakfast, his mother cleaned the cream cheese from the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

"Coop, you ready to go?" Asked Caleb.

He nodded. "I'm just sad to leave my old room. Will my room the new house be the same color?"

Hanna nodded. "Yep, unless you decide on a different color."

As they made their way downstairs to the front of the building, he kept babbling on. "Nope, I want my Peter Pan room! But this time, can my bed be a pirate ship?" He pleaded.

Hanna chuckled and shrugged, bending down to adjust his winter hat – a beanie just like his dad's. "I guess we'll have to see what your new room looks like. May not be tall enough for such a tall boat!"

Cooper paused for a second to climb into the SUV they'd rented for the drive home. Once he was settled in the back, he carried on again. "If the new house is big enough, can we have a slide in the middle of it?"

After cranking the ignition, Caleb laughed out loud at his son's suggestion. "Where would you get an idea like that, Bud?"

"The magazine in the box by the trash can."

"What magazine was that, Boo?" Hanna asked with an aprehensive tone.

"I don't know," he answered annoyingly. "There was a picture of a bunny on the front and a bunch of girls who looked like Mommy in sparkly swim suits were on a slide in the middle of a big, huge house! Bigger than a castle."

"Ohmigod!" She squeaked and slapped her snickering husband. "Caleb, what the heck?"

"That magazine is like eleven years old! It was my foster brother, Shane's, he sold it to me in the ninth grade." He explained.

"My baby probably saw naked women!"

"Relax, there's nothing vulgar in that issue, I got ripped off. And I guarantee you, Coop probably saw more last year when he walked in on us."

Hanna swatted at his shoulder again. "Don't remind him. He was scared to go in our room for like, a whole month after."

The couple looked back at their son, wondering if he was still paying attention. Cooper however didn't hear his parents' conversation. He sat idly in his booster seat, paying serious attention to his hand held video game.

They turned back and Hanna sighed. "I cannot wait to live in a house with thick walls. Our son can sleep soundly down the hall and we won't have to worry about making too much noise against the bed frame."

"God," Caleb chuckled. "Don't take that for granted just yet, we don't even know the state of the houses on the market in Rosewood."

She shrugged in return. "Anything is better as long as it's got four bedrooms and a bay window somewhere inside it." Hanna replied casually.

Caleb nodded. "I will make sure to tell the realtor specifically that you want a large bay window." He switched on the turn signal and followed their truck over the bridge connecting the city to the suburbs. "Who is our realtor, anyway?"

"Don't hate me." Hanna replied quietly.

"Who is it, Han?"

"My dads suggesting we give Kate a chance." She mumbled quickly.

He shuddered. "As in Kate Randall? Your not-so-charming step sister? Great."

"She's been sober three years!" She argued. "And my mom says she's been working really hard to get her license. I think we should give her a chance."

"Since when are you willing to trust her? She tried to have you expelled for god's sake!"

Hanna sighed. "She was feeling insecure, something I am fairly familiar with, if you remember."

His knuckles, gripped securely around the steering wheel, slowly faded from white to their normal color. "I'm sorry, it's just hard for me to trust that she won't stick us in a house that might combust in the middle of the night!"

"She's family, Caleb. I'm willing to give her a chance."

He hesitated. "I guess you're right. But I'm still coming with you, and she will get the beat down if she steps out of line."

Hanna giggled at her husband's meager threats and pulled out a magazine to entertain herself for the rest of the two hour trip.

**-:-**

Ashley Marin grinned idiotically as she spotted the Bekins truck roll into her driveway through her front window, followed by the large SUV that trailed it's path. She wasted no time rushing out the front door to meet her family as they came to a stop.

The little family of three slowly exited the rental, Caleb hopping out on his side and circling the front of the car to Hanna's side. He opened the door, careful to avoid Cooper who had climbed over the seat with pure eagerness and nearly flew onto the curb. As soon as her son was safely in the ground, Hanna took Caleb's hand and let him gently help her out as well.

"Nana!" Cooper called to Ashley. He shot across the freshly trimmed lawn and launched into his grandmother's waiting arms.

Caleb and Hanna giggled, finding their son's excitement adorable. They made their way hand in hand, over to the moving van where the two brawny men were opening up the back.

The woman knelt down just in time to catch her grandson just as he launched into her waiting arms. "I missed you, baby." Whispered Ashley into the child's ear.

Cooper pulled away and looked at her with amusement. "I just saw you during summer vacation!" He said.

The older woman laughed out loud and ruffled the boy's hair. "But that was a long four months ago, hon. Hey, I made you some cookies!"

He perked up and smiled. "Where? Can I have them now?" She nodded.

"Cooper," Caleb called. "Come help us with these boxes first."

The dark-haired child looked a the door to the house and back to the truck where his parents waited.

"It's only a couple boxes," said Hanna. "Come put them next to your stack."

"Okay." Cooper shrugged and jogged over to the truck. Caleb handed him a little box that had "COOPER" written in big black letters on the side.

After his small stack of belongings had been formed, Cooper excitedly followed Ashley into the kitchen to retrieve his snack.

Still outside, Hanna stood in the yard. Tens of boxes surrounded her at her feet, she jotted down stuff on her mini check list as she surveyed the packages. There weren't as many things to pack so the cardboard collection was generally small. Their apartment was tidy yet cramped, but when all boxed up it seemed like nothing. The couple has also decided on saving only the valuable things and selling the furniture. Hanna was fully set on completely decorating their future house from scratch.

Caleb walked over and set the last of the boxes down. He came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist, setting his head on her shoulder. He took the notepad from her and tossed it on the grass. Hanna sighed happily. "We're finally home. Well, sort of."

"It was a good thing we decided on not bringing the furniture with us. Otherwise we'd be drowning in bubble wrap and packing peanuts." He whispered.

"Look at this, we already are."

He spun her around to where they were facing each other. He gently tapped the end of her nose. "You look so hot in this sweater and those glasses. The sexy librarian look really suits you."

She blushed and shoved his hands off her waist. Before she could step away he distracted her once more by capturing her lips in his, letting her fall under his spell.

"Ew, kissing!" Yelled a childishly manipulated voice that came from behind the pair. Aria walked up the sidewalk and onto the grass, Happy trounced beside her, on a leash in her grasp. "Hey, neighbors! Been a while." She greeted.

Hanna blushed again even more and waved to the woman. Aria stopped for a laugh and continued. "Good to see you again. What's it been, a month?"

She nodded. "Just about right. Three weeks as of yesterday."

"Well that was fast. I guess my convincing really worked." Aria boasted. The two friends went in for a hug before settling back down.

"Ah, so this was all your idea?" Caleb teased. "How is your new place?"

"It's perfect." She gushed. "Really, really great. You know, it's nice when there's no one a floor above you having a 24 hour dance party."

Aria and Ezra had officially moved into their home three weeks before. The couple had found a little chunk of town that had been the home too wealthy families a century ago that had been completely renovated by the bank and put on the market for new families in Rosewood. The Fitzes lived in a four bedroom bungalow at the end of the street. It was painted a dark purple and the shutters were a deep charcoal shade. Inside they added a wall-long bookcase in Ezra's office and another shelf in the den. It was their perfect abode.

"Ha-Hah. That's wonderful, Ari." The blonde smiled and hugged her friend tightly. Caleb went back to transporting boxes.

"Anything I can help you with?" She asked.

"Just carrying boxes into my mom's garage. Shouldn't take long." Hanna answered.

"Sounds fairly easy." She looked around in slight confusion with the lack of boxes surrounding them. "Why nothing big?"

"We're getting new furniture for the house." Caleb said as he came back for another load.

Aria squealed. "You guys bought a house?"

"Not yet." Hanna frowned. She grabbed an armful and led her friend to the garage.

On their way, Aria asked "What do you mean? You can't live with your mom and Ted forever."

"I know," Hanna set the load down and brushed the specks of dirt it had left on her large sweater. "We're hoping to start house hunting within the week. We certainly don't want to live out of suitcases for months and months."

"The house next door to us is for sale!"

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. "Ari, every house on your block is for sale. You're like, the only family on the street."

"All the more reason to move in!" She cried. "At least say you'll check them out." She followed with her famous puppy dog pout. It had always worked for her, considering her dough eyes and natural pouty lip.

"Of course we will check some out, it's a good part of town. But I won't guarantee that we will like any." She replied calmingly.

Aria stuck her tongue out teasingly and followed her friend back to the mound of cardboard boxes in the yard.

Soon after all the boxes were neatly stacked in the garage, the friends sat around Ashley's kitchen table picking at the Chinese they'd ordered for lunch.

"How come Spencer hasn't come around?" Ashley asked.

Hanna quickly swallowed her mouthful of food. "She's too big to get behind the wheel and its too long of a walk. We might go visit tomorrow after we look at some listings."

"Oh, that's right, she's due any day now."

Aria nodded. "It's exciting, huh? She's the first one of us to start her family."

This earned a glare from her friend across the table. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I-I mean like, willingly start...uh, never mind." she stuttered.

"That's what I thought."

Ashley collected the empty plates from the kitchen table and set them in the sink before sitting back down next to her daughter. "When are you and Caleb planning to look at houses? I'd hope you're not planning to live here forever."

"Excuse me," gasped Hanna. "If I recall, _you're_ the one who was practically _begging_ us to shack up with you not too long ago."

"Well," the woman shrugged. "That was just me being a mother who was desperate for her daughter and family to live a little closer. You can't blame me for trying anything."

Hanna scoffed, taking a sip of lemonade. "Whatever, mom. If you must know, me and Caleb are going to meet with Kate tomorrow to browse the town."

Aria gaped at the girl, nearly choking on her fortune cookie. "Kate?!"

"Yes, Kate." she confirmed. "She's got excellent credentials and I'm willing to give it a try."

"I think that's very sisterly of you," Ashley inputted.

"Whatever," the tiny raven-haired woman droned. "As long as you guys keep a safe distance, nothing can go too wrong."

**-:-**

The next morning after Caleb and Hanna dropped Cooper off at Aria's for the afternoon, the couple made their way to the Grille for a lunch with Kate.

Upon entering, Hanna was certainly surprised at just how much the cafe she had consumed many a meal hadn't changed a bit. The walls were exactly the same color as they had been ever since they had moved to New York. The table she regularly sat at almost ever weekend in high school was right in the same place by the same window as well.

At that beloved table sat none other than the not-so-beloved woman Hanna legally called her step-sister. Kate looked exactly the same as well, minus her long locks. She had seemingly dyed her tresses a sandy, light brown that clearly showed off her highlights. She was dressed in a casually elegant black, sleeved sweetheart dress and leopard printed flats, her light pink trench coat hung off the back of the chair she sat in.

She hadn't looked up from the interior design magazine she had been thumbing through since the couple spotted her. Hanna soon brought her self to walk over to the table, her husband on her tail.

As they reached the table, Kate looked up, startled. "Hi,"

Hanna waved awkwardly. "Hey there,"

Kate motioned the couple to sit down as well and they did. There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke another word.

"Sorry we're a bit late," said Caleb. "Have you been waiting long?"

The woman waved him off, smiling. "No, no. I just got here a minute ago."

"Great," Hanna replied, shifting in her seat. She folded her hands and pull them in her lap. "It's been a while since we've last seen each other."

"Uh, yeah." Kate nodded meekly. "I'm sorry about that. I really didn't have my life together back in high school, and it was a really hard time for me. There was a lot of adjustment and I didn't know how to handle it all, I guess. Anyway, I wanted to apologize for that and anything else I'd put you guys through. I'm doing a lot better now, as you can see, and I feel that I needed to clear that up before I take you guys in as clients."

Hanna was a bit taken aback by her sudden suggestion of reconciliation, but took it as a good thing. Nodding and smiling, she replied. "It's fine. Clearly neither one of us had it together, but as long as that's behind us I don't see any reason for this to be awkward. I forgive you." She then elbowed her still silent husband.

"Me too," he coughed.

"I'm so glad!" Kate replied. She then bent over and pulled some papers out of her tote bag. "These are some listings, I took the liberty of asking Ashley what you all were looking for and came up with some results."

"Wow, thank you." said Hanna as she took the forms off the table and flipped through them. "These are really nice, thanks so much!"

"No problem really, it's sort of part of my whole process. And I promise, they're all nice homes and are in good, clean condition. If you wanted to see some now, I'd be happy to take you over." She suggested.

Hanna nodded eagerly, glancing down at the paper in her hand. "That'd be so cool. Actually, Eastworth drive looks really cute, I love the whole cottage feel of it. And the front window! Can we walk over?"

The woman nodded and packed the folders back into her tote. She left a five dollar billon the table to cover her half-drank iced tea and lead the couple out of the restaurant.

The house was just a few blocks over from the grille, and if Hanna was correct, only three blocks from Spencer and Toby. Upon walking down the street, she could spot Aria's sedan parked out front of a house a few doors down across the street. So far, the location was perfect.

The house was newer than they had expected. It was well-renovated and the kitchen was very up to date as far as appliances and all. The cabinets were white stained and had little glass windows inside them, allowing you to peek through and see dishes.

"I love the counter tops," said Hanna, running her hands over the smooth, streaked white oak. "And the island is just the icing on the cake. I love it."

The three made their way into the living room. It was very large in size, with clean carpet on the half that Hanna presumed was for the sofa, and a wall of shelving with a gap in the middle for the television. So far, everything seemed beautiful.

"And up the stairs, we have our four bedrooms. Each of them, excluding the master, are very roomy." said Kate. She led them over to a pair of rooms each large enough to be the master. "Now these two rooms are connected by the bathroom here, and both have enough closet space to each be bedrooms."

They walked down the hall to the other two rooms, one of which was over the garage.

"I guess we could use that for the game room." Caleb suggested.

Hanna frowned and looked at him. "That should be the guest room. It has it's own bathroom."

"Well, what's wrong with the other rooms?" he asked confusedly.

She scoffed. "I think we should save that room for the children."

"We only have one kid, Han. Unless..." he trailed off.

"No," she smacked him. "I mean, in the future, I might want to fill it with more kids. It's attached to Cooper's room and it's the perfect size."

Caleb groaned. "Fine, this can be the guest room then. But we need a game room, I promised Coop we'd have one."

"Well that was a stupid idea, wasn't it?" she replied in a sing-song tone.

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but there's also a finished basement in the house." Kate informed the couple whom she had been awkwardly watching bicker from behind. "There's plenty of space and outlets for whatever you need."

Caleb's eyebrows rose informatively as he glanced at Hanna. She rolled her own and smiled. "I guess all that's left to see is the master bedroom, right?" she asked. Kate nodded and led them across the hall, past the laundry closet.

They came upon a pair of double doors, stained a dark oak. Behind them was the bedroom of their dreams. High beam ceilings that led to a little nook for sitting and a large bay window looking out onto the back yard.

"I think we could fit the old apartment in this room alone." gaped Hanna.

Caleb nodded wordlessly, leading her into the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, there was a counter with his and hers sinks, white marble tops. Across from the sinks was the bathtub, in the center of the room. It was in-ground, but large enough to fit a family of four comfortably.

"That tub could hold the entire family from that TLC show..." Hanna whispered, running her fingers lightly over the edge. "And it's got jets!"

"It's definitely big, but I want to take a look at the shower." Caleb pulled her away from the tub and over to the shower. It too was easily big enough to fit a family. "I like the size, it's nice."

"OH MY GOD."

Caleb turned around to find a snickering Kate staring at him. "Looks like Hanna abandoned you to find the closets." she giggled.

Hanna then scrambled out of the closet and over to her husband. "I want that closet, I want to live here," she turned to Kate, "I want to live here! We'll take it."

Kate stifled another laugh and glanced at Caleb. "What do you think?"

He nodded, smiling. "I really like it, too. Uh, so I guess we'll take it."

"Alright," said Kate, copying something down in her notebook. She ripped the page out and handed it to the couple. "That's the address to office in town. Tomorrow, we can meet and make an offer, then see where it goes from there."

"Sounds great," said Caleb. "We'll be there."

**-:-**

**So they picked out a house! I didn't want to make Kate a bitch, so I wrote her as an angel, because let's face it, she's beautiful. This is easily a very long chapter, so I hope y'all enjoyed it! Sorry it took me forever to update, I've been sorta busy. But you should expect a new chapter soon.**

**Tell your friends and fam about this story, I'd love some more follows and lots of reviews! **

**Thanks so much for reading! **


	4. Something More

**A/N **People have been asking me why there's been no Emily. All I can say is that she hasn't exactly been on my radar as I've been writing. I'm sorry for that, but she's back this chapter! So please forgive me for basically, unintentionally overlooking her. And I can safely say that she will be around a lot more.

- Gotta be something more,  
Gotta be more than this.  
I need a little less hard time,  
I need a little more bliss. -

Leaves crunched under Hanna's feet. Her Steve Madden riding boots clicked along the cobblestone sidewalk as she made her way up Eastworth Drive. Turning onto Clairemont Place, an overwhelming gust of wind chilled her and she stuffed her gloved hands into the pockets of her coat. The gift bag bounced at her side as it hung around her wrist.

Shortly after moving into the house approximately four doors down and across the street from the Fitz residence, Hanna had taken it upon herself to get straight back into the swing of things as far as her friends were concerned. This led to her decision of taking on the large task of planning a surprise baby shower for Spencer, who was due the first of November.

Seeing as Halloween was two days away, there wasn't much time left to throw the party, and the surprise was short notice, but would be worth it in the end…hopefully.

As she reached the Cavanaugh house, Hanna could spot the cars of each one of her friends. Emily's white Prius was parked behind Aria's silver Camry, which was parked next to Hanna's sleek, black BMW X5, a housewarming present from her father.

She had been hesitant to accept the gift, considering it was too lavish and she was planning on purchasing one anyway, but with accepting it came the opportunity to keep the extra money she and Caleb had been saving and invest that into things for the house.

Spencer's Highlander sat in the garage, Toby had however been in on the surprise and had taken her on a drive to the lake that afternoon while Aria and Hanna set up the get together.

As she opened the door, the overwhelming scent of cinnamon filled her nose. Hoping Aria hadn't burnt down Spencer's kitchen trying to bake cookies, Hanna carefully turned the corner into the kitchen to find quite the scene. Emily was hunched over on the floor, mopping up the floor with a paper towel.

"Em, what the hell happened?"

The mocha-eyed woman nearly slammed her head on an open drawer as she scampered to a standing position. "You're back." She said nervously.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "I said I was going home to grab my present and I'd be back in five minutes. And I live four blocks away."

"I get your point."

"You never explained what happened." Hanna retorted.

Emily crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to the other leg. "Aria tried to go all Betty Crocker on us and make Ella's famous Cinnabon cake. But she dropped the entire bag of cinnamon on the kitchen floor." She explained dryly.

"Where has the culprit gone off to?" Asked the blonde.

"She went to the grocery store to buy air freshener so the smell won't burn anyone's eyes or turn the party into a group cinnamon challenge."

Hanna began to feel her chest contract with apprehension. "The party is supposed to start in a half an hour, and all we have us a couple pink streamers hanging from the ceiling of a house that smells like the freaking Cinnabon factory!" She grabbed her chest, beginning to wheeze.

Emily pulled a paper bag out of the still open drawer and handed it to her hyperventilating friend. "Relax! Spencer isn't even going to be here for another hour, and what guests arrive on time anyway?"

Hanna dropped the bag from her mouth and tried to catch her breath to speak. "You're not helping!" She gasped. "And neither are you!"

Aria looked up from the grocery bag she was inspecting as she walked through the door. Her oblivious expression couldn't hide her guilty one. She pointed to herself "Me?"

"Ari, please fix the smell before Hanna gives herself a stroke." Emily commanded her.

Giving them a thumbs up, the woman proceeded to pull out a can of apple febreze and began spraying it throughout the living room, hoping to lessen the stinging stench.

After Hanna had calmed considerably, she finally got back to decorating.

The pink and orange theme was going to be a hit. Not only was it the chosen color scheme for everything that had to do with Baby Girl Cavanaugh, but the season had coincidentally matched it as well.

Pumpkins that had been painted pink cold be found at every spot on each table set up on the screened in porch of Spencer as Toby's back yard. Orange candles could be found burning around the living room as well as streamers and other various baby shower decorations.

"Mmm, it smells like cinnamon apples in here!" Announce Caleb as he and Cooper entered the house twenty minutes later.

"You can thank me later." Aria quietly jabbed her friends.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "You're lucky, Aria here almost clouded this place into oblivion with her cinna-storm." She circled around the kitchen table where she had been setting up food trays and made her way over to her husband, gently kissing him.

"So who else are you expecting to come tonight?" He asked the women.

Aria and Emily both shrugged in utter confusion, because neither could think of any friends outside of their group that were on good enough terms to attend.

"I know Melissa and her new boyfriend will be there. They're bringing Tay. Our mothers, and I think Toby invited one or two guys from work who's wives are friends with Spencer." Hanna recited.

"Who's Melissa's new guy?"

Aria sighed. "His name is Isaac Daniels. He just started at their parents firm two months ago. Veronica set them up. That's all I know as of today."

"Of course she did," Hanna mocked the statement.

Veronica would take any chance to thrust a wealthy man into her daughter's life, no matter the cost. It was as if the mob was of no concern to her, and neither were criminals or hustlers. As long as they were handsome and made a fine living, they would be formally introduced almost immediately. When Spencer had gotten pregnant, her mother had rightfully backed away from the meddling and began completely accepting Toby, because he wasn't going anywhere.

Emily shook her head. "Actually they really hit it off."

"You're kidding," gasped Aria who wrestled with Spencer's black lab, Pippa on the floor.

"No," the woman continued. "They have been nearly inseparable ever since they met. Tay even approves."

"Well maybe that's a good thing, Mel and Tay need someone to help them safe at night." Caleb piped up from his place at the kitchen table.

Hanna nodded in agreement. "I think he sounds like a good thing for Melissa's life. She could use a new focus." She practically groaned. "Spence brought Taylor over to visit with Coop last weekend, since they're in the same preschool class, and she asked me where we kept our graphing calculator was."

"Sounds like she's raising another true Hastings," Aria teased.

Hanna nodded and willed to continue the rant. "When we brought out the puzzles, she finished a 500-pieced one in twenty minutes. Twenty minutes! I've been working on that puzzle for three years almost."

Suddenly before anyone of the friends could add to their conversation, the front door swung open loudly. "Where is the party?" A familiar voice asked.

Jason DiLaurentis entered the kitchen quickly, nearly frightening the group. He looked around, giving everyone a confused look.

"It hasn't started quite yet." Emily informed Spencer's brawny half-brother.

He blushed. "I see."

Aria tapped the empty chair next to hers. "Well, sit down. Don't be shy."

He quietly sat without another word. Tapping her glossy manicured fingernails on the dark wood of the table, Hanna asked. "How have you been, Jason?" She stood up and made her way to the fridge, pouring herself a glass of sparkling cider they'd been using for the punch later on.

Jason shifted awkwardly in the seat, folding his hands in front of him on the table. "Uh, I've been great. I'm living in my own house now, it's on the corner of Dartmouth and Spivey."

"Oh, that's your place?" Asked Caleb eagerly, remembering passing it on the way to his new office. "Nice."

The man nodded, clearing his throat. "I'm engaged, too." He stated.

"Are you?" Emily asked. He nodded.

Hanna sat back in her seat, taking a sip of the cider. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Kate R-"

"Kate Randall?" Hanna gasped, nearly spewing her drink everywhere.

"Yeah. Crazy, isn't it?" He smirked. "She's really changed,"

"Oh, we know." She laughed back.

Caleb piped up. "She sold us our house. We've been there about a week."

Jason nodded. "Right, she mentioned that. I'm glad you're cool with everything now. She was pretty hesitant about taking you guys on as clients."

"It's understandable." Hanna thought for a minute before speaking again, this time more inquisitively. "Spencer never mentioned that you were with Kate. I don't recall seeing a ring, either."

"Ah, well I proposed like, three days ago. I don't think anyone is supposed to know yet, but I can trust you all." He paused. "I hope."

Emily smiled and nodded along with the others. "I have no problem keeping it a secret. Aria on the other hand…" She and everyone then glanced to the tiny woman who typed away at her phone, texting something.

She looked up to the stares she was receiving, shrugging. "What? Ezra doesn't know enough people to tell. And it's not like a bunch of college students care."

"Whatever, it's fine. We're planning telling people tonight or tomorrow."

Hanna smiled, resting her head in her hands. "That's really cool, Jason. I'm happy for you two."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. She's family, you're a good friend and great brother to Spencer, why wouldn't I be? This is exciting." She replied.

Emily sat up, alert.  
"How exactly, if you don't mind me asking, did you two meet?"

He cleared his throat, stretching back in his chair. "I was volunteering at the group home in Allentown about two years ago, and Kate had just been released. She had come to complete her service hours and we met, and before long we were spending more time together. We just sort of… Clicked?" He hesitated. "Anyway, we have been officially together about a year and a half."

"That's so sweet. Who'd have thought you two would find each other." Hanna teased.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

After their brief catching up, the party hosts finished setting up completely, just as more guests began arriving.

Kate, who had previously reunited with Spencer, shyly joined the group at Jason's side. Melissa and Isaac arrived shortly after, along with Taylor who found no problem sticking with Cooper.

Ella and Ashley both carpooled, and Peter sauntered in seemingly alone, heading straight for Isaac Melissa. Veronica had deferred her appearance due to a conference she absolutely couldn't miss.

Around seven-thirty, the group had gathered in the living room to await the guest of honor.

"So, should we be hiding?" Ezra quietly asked Caleb, who shook his head.

"Hanna and the girls say no."

Ezra deadpanned. "It's a surprise party…"

Aria, who sat on his other side, nudged him. "You don't scare pregnant women." She whispered.

"I don't think making Spencer cry is the worst thing anything has ever happened."

"No," she replied. "If we scare her, she could be so shocked that she goes into early labor."

He furrowed his brow at her statement, pausing. "Is that bad? She's due next week."

Aria swatted him over the head and laughed. "No, then the party would be a waste. We've worked really hard on all of this, not to mention keeping the secret; that was the hardest."

"I see Uncle Toby's twuck!" Taylor cried excitedly. She and Cooper were sitting on the floor, before the front window, keeping watch for Hanna.

"Hide!" Cooper yelled to his new friend. The two preschoolers ran across the foyer and into the den. They then proceeded to take a spot behind the couch where Hanna and Caleb sat.

Everyone stayed put in their seats around the room, waiting for the couple to come inside.

After what seemed like hours, the kitchen door finally opened.

"Toby, why are all the lights on? I specifically remember turning them off before you dragged me out of here against my will." Spencer grumbled.

Toby could be heard chuckling. "I don't know why they're on, babe. And admit it, you enjoyed feeding the ducks."

"They were really cute, but - OH, MY GOD!"

"Surprise!" The guest cried.

"What's going on, why are you all in my house?" The pregnant woman asked skeptically.

Hanna rolled her eyes, getting on her feet and walking over to hug her friend. "Happy Baby Shower!"

Spencer stayed still for a moment, shock spilling over her features. She raised a hand to her mouth, her other rested upon the top of her large, swollen stomach. "You guys!" She squeaked.

Aria and Emily followed Hanna and gave the woman warm hugs.

Spencer sniffled quietly, choking back her sobs. "I don't know why I'm crying. This is so embarrassing!"

Hanna shook her head. "No, it's completely normal. And expected." She squeezed her hand, shaking it gently. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Spencer answered, nodding and wiping her nose. "It's cool. Just wasn't expecting it. I love you guys!"

The girls went in for one last group hug before rejoining the rest of the party crowd.

—

"Momma, I can't be Iron Man with no secret partner." Cooper whined as he stepped out of his Halloween costume.

Hanna set the spandex suit on the kitchen counter along with the plastic mask and padding. She sighed. "Coop, I told you… You don't need Pepper Pots to trick-or-treat with you. And Mommy doesn't have that costume."

The little boy grumbled. "No one is gonna know who I am, then!"

"Baby, you'll be fine. Everyone loves Iron Man, and everyone knows what he looks like." She replied, helping her son into his jeans.

"Last year was funner when Sammy was Pepper Pots with me at school."

Hanna stood up and face-palmed. "Well then what else would you want to be for Halloween? Better decide quick, you got 48 hours."

The five-year-old thought a minute, mulling over his options. "I'll get back to you!" He stated before stalking off into the den.

Hanna followed him and stopped at the television. "What movie do you wanna watch before nap time, Bud?"

Cooper settled into the L-shaped couch with his Avengers blanket. He pressed his index finger on his chin, again in thought. "Peter Pan, duh!" He decided.

The blonde laughed and snapped the DVD case open, popping the disc into the player.

As the music faded in, Hanna's cell rang from its spot in the kitchen. She walked over hastily and picked it up. Despite not recognizing the number, she clicked the Talk button.

"Hello?"

There was stagnated breathing on the other end, making Hanna nervous. "Hanna? It's Melissa."

"Oh, hey." She replied, relieved it wasn't some kind of serial killer.

"Are you busy? I'm sort of in a hurry."

"No, it's fine." Hanna hopped on a bar stool next to the counter. "What's up?"

She could tell the woman was in a rush by the way she held the phone and breathed hard into the receiver. "My boss at the firm called an emergency meeting. Tay's babysitter got the flu and I have no one to watch her. Today was supposed to be my day off. Spencer's too pregnant and preoccupied to grab her and Isaac is in New York on business…"

"Bring her over here, then. She and Coop have a blast together, they'd be fine." She said simply.

"Really, you're sure it's ok?" Melissa asked in an exasperated rush.

"Yeah, absolutely. We're free all afternoon. Caleb is working. Just drop her off."

"Oh, my God. Thank you, you're a lifesaver! I'll see you in a sec."

"See you,"

Hanna trailed back into the den where Cooper sat, snuggled on the couch.

"Buddy, Tay is coming over to play."

The little boy sat straight up and peeked over the armrest. "She is?"

Hanna nodded. "Is that a problem?"

"What about nap time?"

"You really want that nap, huh? Guess we'll have to take a rain check on Taylor." She teased.

"No!" He cried, hopping off the couch. "Please let her come over!"

Hanna giggled at his eager request. "Okay, she'll be here in a few minutes, so go ahead and pick up those Legos so no one trip on them." She pointed at the scattering of the plastic blocks in the corner of the den.

Cooper scampered over to the mess and began quickly returning all of them to their storage container.

Five or so minutes later, the doorbell rang. Cooper blushed and Hanna walked over to greet the guests. "Hey, girls." she waved.

Taylor waved and skipped into the house to find Cooper, Melissa stayed on the front step, still in a rush.

"Thank you _so much _for letting me drop her off, it's seriously amazing." she gushed.

Hanna waved it off and shrugged. "They seem to get along really well. We should do this more often."

Melissa nodded, backing up down the steps. "That's a great idea! I'll text you when the meeting ends."

"Alright, drive careful." she shut the door behind her and made her way back to the den, where Cooper was showing off his new Chinese Checkers set. Taylor giggled and fawned over the game, and blushed whenever Cooper caught her staring at him instead. The two were incredibly adorable, no one could deny that.

Watching her son interact with another child made Hanna wonder. Maybe it was time to start trying for another, or at least to suggest the idea with Caleb. She of course had always known that she wanted to give Cooper a sibling; there's so much they could all learn from the new addition. But Cooper was only five, and who's to know if he was ready to share his parents' attention.

Them moving to Rosewood was supposed to mean a new beginning to their family, but maybe they needed time to settle in, the rooms she had picked out for future children would always be there.

**Was that horrible? **

**Please review!**


	5. Maybe I Want To

- Maybe I want to take the chance,  
And maybe I long to dance that dance. -

At about five-thirty on the afternoon of November 2nd, the Rivers house received a call.

"Hey, it's me," Hanna greeted when her husband answered the phone. "Spencer went into labor and we're on our way to the hospital."

"You're kidding!" Caleb replied. "Anything we can do?" He asked, referring to him and Cooper.

"Uh, not unless you want to keep me company down here, there's not much happening. I wouldn't want Coop to die of boredom."

"You're planning on staying?" He asked.

"Yeah, Spencer wants me around. I've already been through this, so I'm moral support. Hopefully baby girl won't take too long. You never know." She trailed off before clearing her throat. "Anyway, just heads up. Cooper needs dinner, so there's some leftover pizza in the fridge,"

"Okay, we will be fine here. Just call if anything changes."

Hanna chuckled. "At least it's a Friday night, Cooper can come if it isn't too late when the baby comes. Oh, and Melissa wondered if Tay could stay with you guys a little longer, just until later tonight."

"Yeah, that's fine." He said.

"Okay, I gotta get back. I'll text you. I love you."

"Love you too, bye."

Hanna sat, slumped over on the window seat couch contraption of Spencer's hospital room. The smell and all of her surroundings were frighteningly familiar. She easily got glimpses of déjà vu and flashbacks whenever Spencer's labor progressed.

Right now, nothing was happening. Spencer was in the in between stage, where the contractions were controlled, but nothing was exciting quite yet. Hanna had at first felt like a big annoyance, the odd woman out. Ezra and Aria had gotten there as soon as they could, but left to grab things like the hospital bag and car seat, which weren't there due to us leaving the Home Depot so quickly, and Toby coming straight from the office.

Toby was out taking time for himself to get dinner and prepare for the delivery. When they'd given his wife the epidural, he turned white as a ghost, realizing that everything was really happening.

Spencer was sleeping, nearly comatose in her bed. Hanna hasn't wanted to disturb her, it may be the longest sleep she would get for a long time.

Hanna felt her stomach grumble, and realized that she hasn't actually eaten since lunch. She checked the clock on her phone and read it was about eight-thirty. Climbing off the love seat, she reached over and shook Melissa awake.

Her eyes fluttered open and she stretched out, sitting up in the rocking recliner. "Hmmm?"

"I'm going to grab a coffee and raid the vending machines. Want anything?" She quietly asked.

"Uh, coffee?" She whispered. Hanna nodded, but then she grabbed the hem of the blonde's long sweater, pulling her back. "As strong as you can make it, please."

Hanna chuckled. "You're a Hastings, I expected nothing less."

Melissa laughed softly, letting the woman leave.

The hallway seemed endless as Hanna navigates through the maze, trying to locate the vending station. Finally, she found the little room at the end of the hall.

She noticed Toby sitting in a chair, sipping coffee calmly.

"What are you doing here? Thought you were escaping." She teased him.

The father-to-be looked up from his steaming cup and smiled. "Nah, I couldn't bring myself to get too far away. I didn't want something to happen and me be so far into hospital oblivion that I miss the birth of my child."

Hanna poured a cup of the darkest roast she could find for Melissa before grabbing a handful of sugar packets and little creamer cups. "I don't blame you, it took me ten minutes to find this place." She giggled.

"You're the one who's already given birth here, you should know where everything is." He stated, sipping his coffee.

"I think they renovated like, two years ago." She said, stirring her cup and securing its lid. She walked over to the chairs and sat down in the one beside Toby.

"How is Spence?" He asked quietly.

Hanna smiled. "She's fine, still sound asleep, just as you left her." She sipped her warm beverage and looked over at him. He twiddled with a loose stitching on his belt. "You ok? You seem a little uneasy."

He blushed. "I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous. I've never been a dad before."

She giggled, patting his knee. "That's not a bad thing. Not is it anything to worry about. You'll be totally fine."

He sat up and turned more in her direction. "How are you so sure? My dad was an ass, I've never had a sister, a normal one, and I don't know how to raise a girl!"

"Whoa," Hanna said, abruptly bringing the cup from her lips. "Don't freak out. I know you'll be amazing."

"How?"

She sighed. "Well, for one, you are one of the sweetest, most caring men I've ever met. Next to Caleb. And you treat Spencer like absolute gold! You have nothing but love for her, and this baby."

"Thanks," he whispered.

"Please, I have seen you with babies. You were a natural with Cooper and Tay, I can't imagine how easy you'll take to fatherhood. You're going to be fine." She finished her speech with another sip of coffee.

"I hope you're right," he said glancing at his phone. "Melissa just texted, she said they're prepping Spencer for delivery right now."

"You're kidding," Hanna replied, almost choking on her drink. She stood up quickly and raised her eyebrows. "You coming or not?"

He smiled and stood from his seat as well, following her out of the room, dropping his cup in the trash on the way out.

Once they were back in the room with Melissa and Spencer, Hanna moved out to call Caleb.

When she came back in, the nurses and doctors were detaching the bed from the wall to move it down the hall to delivery.

Hanna handed the coffee to Melissa. "Should I leave?"

Melissa shrugged. "I guess, they said we could come."

Hanna paused to consider her options. She glanced at Spencer who was receiving a pep talk from her husband and walked over.

"Good luck, you guys!" She gushed.

Toby panicked. "Wait, where are you going?"

Hanna sighed. "To see my husband and son in the waiting room."

"Why aren't you coming with us?" Spencer said between deep breaths.

She shrugged. "This is an exciting thing, it's something you should experience together. You only have your first child once." Looking over at Emily, who had just arrived from work, she smirked. "You got Em."

With that, Hanna turned and walked out into the waiting area. She spotted Caleb and Cooper on a couch beside the Fitzes. Aria was curled into we husband's said, talking animatedly.

"Hey," she said. She sat down next to Cooper, who climbed over her and laid his head in her lap. He must have been exhausted.

Caleb wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. "Hey, you."

She cuddled closer and rested her head on his soft shoulder. "Where's Tay?" She asked.

"Isaac came by and took her to the cafeteria for ice cream." He nodded his head toward their now asleep son. "Can't say the same for this little guy. He fell asleep in the car. Had to wake him up to get out of the car, but I guess he went right back to sleep."

Hanna stared down at her baby boy, stroking his soft brown hair. He yawned and his eyes fluttered, but didn't open. She ran her fingers up and down his back, softly massaging it.

Caleb made a move and rested his hand over hers, grasping it tightly. "What are you thinking about?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh…" She murmured and blushed. "Just mentally gushing over how beautiful our child is. Ya know, the usual."

He sighed. "Don't tell me you're getting ideas,"

Hanna lifted her head to face him. "Why? What's so bad about my ideas?"

"Because, once you've got them, you don't give them up."

"Whatever," she scoffed. She laid her head back down on him. "It's impossible to not get ideas in a maternity ward." Hanna pointed to a couple across the room from them who looked to be in their early fifties. "THEY are even getting ideas."

Caleb chuckled and nuzzled her. "So you want to start try-"

His question was suddenly cut off as the double doors busted open abruptly, and Toby crept out sheepishly, trying to hide his immense grin.

Aria shot out of Ezra's arms and ran over to her friend. Hanna sat up, alert. "So, are you a dad?" The blonde asked excitedly.

Still speechless and unfailingly shocked, Toby did the next best thing and began nodding profusely, trying to formulate the words. "Yeah, I am." He breathed. "She's here, it's a girl."

Aria squealed and clapped her hands as she jumped up and down. "Can we see her?"

Toby nodded again, this time more eased. "Yeah, but quietly."

The friends followed him back down the hall, into the delivery room. When they entered the room, it was dead quiet.

Hanna gasped, already in love with the little bundle in Spencer's arms. She knew why Toby had been so speechless before. Their baby was gorgeous.

"She's absolutely beautiful!" she whispered, walking over to get a better look.

Spencer sighed contently, strengthening her grip on the bundle. "Isn't she?"

"Spence, she's perfect." Aria chimed in giddily.

Emily continued to snap flash-less photos as the women marveled at the baby girl.

"That was so short! Did you push at all, or did she just slip out like your vajayjay was a playground slide?" Hanna managed to ask between laughs and tears.

Her friend's face turned from content to treacherous, to amused. "I think she was just eager to meet us." she replied angelically.

"Well, if you were my parents, I know I would too." Emily said. "So, what's her name?"

"Yes, what is her name, Mama?" Hanna prodded.

Spencer blushed and sent Toby a knowing glance, sighing. "Her first name is Avery, after Toby's mother."

Aria squealed again. "Oh, my God. That's beautiful! She would love it,"

"You didn't even know her." Hanna quipped.

"Whatever, I know she would." the tiny woman turned back to Spencer, whispering. "You're lucky your would have been mother-in-law had a youthful name."

The new mother scoffed but smiled. "So is yours,"

"Diane? Oh _hell_ no." she replied.

Emily piped in again. "So, what's her middle name?"

Toby walked over from where he was filling out paperwork. "Juliet, after our second favorite literary work." the girls looked confusedly at him. "Well we couldn't name a girl _Holden_!" he replied defensively.

"Well, welcome into the world Avery Juliet Cavanaugh!" Hanna whispered, lightly touching the barely-there hair on the infant's head.

"I dunno, I like Holden for a girl." Aria interrupted the sweet moment.

"Then have a boy." Hanna argued.

* * *

Two weeks later, Hanna found herself sitting on her bathroom toilet, awaiting the answer of a home pregnancy test.

"I'm having major deja vu." she said, groaning.

"Whatever happens, we'll be ok." Caleb replied.

She rolled her eyes, but was soon startled by the egg timer sitting next to the sink. "Can you believe this might be happening again?"

"I dunno, you?"

"I'm not... sure."

He propped himself up on his elbows from his spot on the decorative chair, and brought himself to his feet. Walking over to her, he grabbed her hand and led her back to the counter. "Only one way to find out."

She sighed nervously and brought her shaky hand over the stick, turning it over.

"Again?" She gasped, stifled a watery laugh.

* * *

**Dun, Dun, DUN. Don't get used to it!**

**I am so sorry for whatever happened last night! FF like, tangled up my chapters and deleted one of them. It's fixed now, so there's nothing to worry about. But I am SO SORRY if you weren't able to view the chapter. **

**Hopefully, you'll see this one easier. And REVIEW. PLEASE. **


	6. It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

_**I'm trying POV's this chapter. Don't hate me if it sucks, I just felt the chapter would turn out better.**_

_-:- Where did I go wrong,  
I lost a friend, somewhere alone  
in the bitterness -:-_

There was a soft beeping coming from something on my right. It sounded continuously and as I realized I was waking up, the beeping got louder.

White. All I could see once I stretched my heavy, bloodshot eyes open, was white. White walls, white ceilings, white door. Where the hell was I?

Turning my head to my right the best I could, I winced immediately. My head had been pounding, and now I could feel the painful jaunts. Like a brick slamming into the side of my scull.

Once I realized the pain of the headache, the undeniable gash above my left eyebrow became apparent as I reached upward to brush the bangs out of my eyes. My fleshed over wound burned against the the soft pads of my fingers, but not rough enough to worsen the injury.

I drew in a heavy breath, but stopped as soon as I felt the soreness in my heaving chest. The pain neatly matched the one in my head, coincidentally.

Before I can do anything else, I hear something. Or rather, someone. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see him; Caleb. He's talking with an older man in a white lab coat. Suddenly it hits me - I'm in the hospital. All I can do is lay there, still as a fly on the wall while I listen.

They're whispering, yet all I can make out is the concern that coated whatever my husband said.

Something must have happened, something bad.

I feel a rush of eagerness when Caleb finally retreats back to the chair next to my bed.

"Hi," I whisper.

He lets out a sigh of relief, noticing that I'm awake. "Hey," he breathes, reaching for my hand.

I slip my weak palm into his and he holds me tight. It's the best feeling in the world, and it's the most warmth I've felt in a while, I can tell.

"What happened?" I squeak. My throat feels like a desert, and it's all I can do not to choke on my own arid tongue.

He sighs, a little weaker this time. His eyes travel around, searching for the answer. Finally he speaks. "Baby, you… There was an accident. But you're fine."

"Accident?" I croak, trying to sit up but failing due to the soreness in my back and chest.

"Yes," he struggles. "In the car, someone sped out in front of you… And you swerved into a tree. The car was t-boned against it. You're okay, though. You're going to be just fine, thank God."

But I'm not okay. As soon as I heard the first word out of his mouth, I remembered; I was pregnant. My hand flew over my waist protectively. And then another realization hit me; Cooper.

"Oh, God," I gasp, there are tears building up in my eyes. "Where's Cooper?"

Caleb shakes his head, kissing my hand in his. "He's fine, Hanna. He's okay, just a little bruised and shaken up. But…"

"But what?" I cut him off. "What. Happened?"

"I don't know the best way to say it," he struggles with his words and composure.

"I'm still pregnant, aren't I?" I ask. My voice is just barely above a whisper. "The baby's alright…?"

He shakes his head slowly, indicating what I knew was coming, but I didn't want to believe it. My body seemed so light over the mattress and I felt empty. Numb. I could feel bile build up in my throat. This wasn't happening.

"No, no, no…" I shake my head rapidly in distress. "No, this isn't real." I choke out. The tears were like a waterfall, or a dam who's levy had crumbled apart. "It's all my fault." I cry into my hands.

He climbed in the bed beside me, settling against the pillows and holding me close.

"Its not your fault. That bastard… He isn't getting away this easily. You are so strong, but sometimes things happen that you can't control. This baby… Maybe this baby just wasn't supposed to happen now. But it's going to be okay. We will get through this." He whispers into my ear.

As I sob, he sobs with me, kissing the top of my head sporadically. We sit there for a while, just being close to each other.

_-:- tears stream down your face,  
when you lose something  
you cannot replace -:-_

The house is cold. Colder than usual. The Christmas tree glows from the corner of the den, by the window. The couch is warm, but I still feel frozen under the mass of blankets.

It's been three days. Since the accident, since the miscarriage. Three days of absolute misery, and of loneliness. Feeling as hollow as a tree, I flop into my back.

My fractured ribs ache like a mother, and my shattered ankle feels like it should just fall off. The only injuries I sustained were below my neck, besides the gash to my forehead.

It had been a long three days, filled with agony. I'd only been home one and a half, and Caleb was already nagging on me to stay comfortable and not to stress myself out.

He means well, I know this, but it gets old after the first day. And he took the whole week off to stay and take care of me. But I feel like the next time he orders me to rest or eat or anything, I'll rip his head off.

I watch out the window as the snow drifts slowly to the ground, calm as can be. Everything is still, everything is calm. And yet, I can't find quiet in my mind. Flashbacks of the accident pour into my mind slowly, images of Cooper looking at me, terrified in the rearview mirror. And of the lights of the jackass speeding out in front of my car. They're all so surreal.

And the baby. I am…well, was only five weeks along. It was too weak to withstand the blows i received to my stomach and chest. We hadn't even told Cooper about it. And that's probably a good thing; I can't imagine having to explain how a baby suddenly wasn't inside me anymore. That would break his heart.

An empty bowl of what was vegetable soup sits on the coffee table in front of me, and the television whispers of grey and black with no signal.

I fall back into the couch cushions and cuddle into a ball. I fall to sleep quickly, but wake up minutes later to see Cooper in front of me, concern painting his features.

"Momma, you ok?" He whispers, caressing my hair much like I do when he is ill.

Caleb hangs his coat on the rack by the front door. "Coop, let Mommy sleep."

I stretch out slowly, careful not to strain my injuries. "No, he's fine." Patting the spot under my feet, I welcome him up. "How was school, handsome?"

"Hanna, you need to relax. The doctor said you need to prop your foot up," Caleb continues, before Cooper can climb up.

"Babe, I am fine. Leave me alone." I bark. He shudders. Instantly, I feel guilty.

"God, I'm sorry." I tell him as I run my hand over my face roughly with frustration. Cooper cowers beneath me. "Coop, it's okay. Mommy didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," he mumbles. Instead of joining me on the sofa, he walked to the staircase. "I have to clean up my Legos." He says as he ascends the steps to his room.

I look to Caleb, but he stays still, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry." I whisper. I blink back tears and pinch the bridge of my nose. "I'm just so…frustrated with all of this. I have a fractured ankle, and my ribs feel like they're rattling, but I am not paralyzed."

He sighs and walks over to the couch, sitting down on the spot by my feet. "I'm smothering you," he whispers.

"You are. But I should be more accepting. And obedient." I speak into my own lap.

He hesitates. "I feel awful. I know you're fine, and I'm so thankful for that. But I just want to keep you safe."

I nudge his side playfully with my good foot and smile. "I know, and I think it's incredibly sexy of you to play doctor. But you know how independent I can be. I don't like feeling helpless."

He chuckles. "No one does."

I nod. "Promise you'll cut down?"

He nods his head and smiles. I lean over tentatively and take his hand. Before I know it, more tears descend down my face.

Caleb looks up at me, concerned. "What's wrong?"

I sigh, trying to gather enough will to speak. "We still haven't talked about…" I trailed off, unable to finish my statement. The emotions were all coming back.

"The baby." He finished for me. "I know. But you can't beat yourself up, babe. It was out of your hands."

I let him continue kissing my head, and down my temple, and over my eyes. As guilty as I may feel about losing this baby, we are really lucky that it was early on, and that I didn't have to carry it for six months before something bad happened.

As traumatic and horrific as the accident was, I guess it was sort of a blessing in disguise. I'm alive, minus the minor injuries, and Cooper survived without even ye slightest scratch.

The police had told me in the hospital, after I had woken up, that there was minor damage to my car. I was lucky enough to only have sliced the front of the car into the tree enough to damage my leg. The airbags broke my ribs, and the gash was from a piece of windshield that had flown at me in the impact. Nothing had traveled to the back seat. Cooper was a little shaken up, but we survived. And I was lucky.

"So what does this mean about the baby?" He asks after we had snuggled awhile.

I gaze up, into his eyes. The sparkle of them pierces my own, and I sigh, completely content. "Are you saying you're ready for another baby?"

He smiles dreamily and nods. "A planned one, at least."

"That sounds like the best idea I've heard in a long time." I say, reaching to bring his face and lips down to my level, and kiss him chastely, letting our lips linger.

Our kisses then slip into deeper and deeper exchanges and soon he lays me down on the cushions, careful of my sore chest. Pinning me down, he continues kissing me warmly and longingly, both of us growing in desire for more.

Just as I begin tugging at his tshirt, trying to drag it off, we hear little footsteps trailing from the stairs. Cooper takes it one stair at a time, but we ignore him until he gets down to the ground level. We roll off each other, me wincing at the abruptness and pain.

"Hey, bud." Caleb offer, hopping off the couch.

"I finished cleaning my Legos." he announced, staring at us skeptically. "Can I have lunch now?"

Caleb nodded. "Sure, kid."

_-:- Stuck in reverse -:-_

"Spencer, she is so precious!" Emily gawked. She ran the pad of her thumb over little Avery's short wisps of hazel hair and stuck the bottle back in the infant's mouth.

Spencer smiled graciously and there was a hint of blush in her cheeks. Even she couldn't believe that such a beautiful being, such a gorgeous face could come from her. And Toby, of course.

"Wait until she opens her eyes," Emily gushes toward Hanna, her eyes wild and giddy. Emily was Avery's godmother, and Jason was her godfather.

Hanna hadn't been able to pay the new parents a visit due to her need to stay home and rest. But as soon as she had gotten the ok from her physician, she skipped right over to the Cavanaugh residence to say hello.

"They're like two elegant little pools of turquoise, a little brighter than Toby's, if that's even possible." Hanna said, also falling under the darling baby's spell.

All the women laughed, and Emily passed the bundle of blankets to Aria. "Careful," she sputtered.

"Jeez, Em," said Aria as she secured Avery in her own arms. "Are you sure you're not Ave's mother?"

"Am I not allowed to love my goddaughter?" She asked defensively, but blushed soon after when she figured Ari was only teasing.

"I think it's sweet," commented Spencer. "Makes me glad we picked her."

"Speaking of godparents, when do I get to be one?" Hanna asked light-heartedly.

Everyone sent her crude stares, and Emily stuck up her nose. "Maybe you should name your son's first."

"Excuse me?" Hanna retorted. "We did!"

"A seven-year-old doesn't count."

Her mouth stood agape at this, but she instead closed it and waved it off. "We were going to pick all of you, but maybe we won't. You'll just have to wait for my next child."

"You're pregnant?" They asked in unison.

Hanna sighed, wondering how to explain herself. "No, not right now."

"But you're trying," Spencer led her on.

"I dunno, I guess. I've never really 'tried' for a baby before. You know how the first one happened…" She gazed down.

"Han, I think that's awesome." Emily confessed happily. Hanna looked up, and smiled back.

"Yeah," Spencer agreed. "Cooper would love to be a big brother. Remember how gentle he was when he held Avery for the first time?"

Hanna recounted back to the last month, when Cooper met Avery. She was only three days old, and he got to hold her. Hanna was curious, because Cooper had never held a newborn before. Much to her surprise, he adored Avery. It was obvious how much he enjoyed babies, too.

"All he could talk about for the next two weeks was going back to see her." She replied.

"Why aren't you more eager about this, Han?" Aria asked, burping the baby girl. "This is exciting, and the timing couldn't be more perfect!"

Spencer and Emily nodded along with their raven-haired friend.

Despite wanting to get it off her chest, and to someone less dramatic and more understanding than her mother, Hanna just shrugged it off and changed the subject.

"I just…need some time to sort some stuff out. I'm not saying Caleb and I aren't ready, or don't want one. But we're just not going to try very hard right now."

The girls hesitated, but agreed and went on with their conversation.

An hour later, Hanna got up to leave, bidding everyone goodbye, telling them she had to pick Cooper up from preschool.

Aria followed her out, saying something about grocery shopping and cleaning the house for the Christmas guests.

"Hanna, wait up." She called after the speedy blonde who was walking half a block ahead.

Hanna adjusted her purse and turned around. "Ari, it's literally a three block walk, no talking time."

"Still, I'd like the company." The woman's heels scraped against the pavement as she caught up to her friend.

"Whatever," Hanna kept walking.

Aria got to a pace next to her and caught her breath before speaking. "Why did you get so defensive when we talked about you and Caleb having more kids?"

"I wasn't acting defensive." Hanna said quickly, trying to brush it off.

"Yes, you were. You basically said you were going to, then got all crazy and gave a lame excuse. Did something happen?"

Hanna turned onto their street and sighed. "Nothing happened, Ari."

"Hanna," she caught up to her again.

The blonde turned on her heels, abruptly, facing Aria. "Leave it."

"Just tell me."

"Why does something always have to been a big deal to you? Why?" Hanna pleaded.

"Because I care." Said Aria, quietly. "But if you don't want to tell me, then I guess that's ok."

Aria turned and crossed the street, stepping onto the other sidewalk across from Hanna. As she kept walking, Hanna stopped and followed her to her driveway.

"Are you going to tell me?" Aria asked.

Hanna nodded, drawing in a deep breath. "Caleb thought I had been acting differently, you know, moody and weird and all… So he made me take a pregnancy test. I did, just to appease him."

"And?"

"And, unbelievably it came out positive." Hanna replied.

Aria jumped up and down. "Oh, my god. You're pregnant right now?"

Hanna looked at her feet, shaking her head slightly. "No,"

"Oh, Han, oh I am so sorry!" She cried, squeezing her hand. Then she realized. "Oh no, was it in the accident?"

The blonde nodded solemnly, letting the new tears fall freely down her cheeks. Her mascara smudged under her eyes and she could feel her face reddening from holding her breath so long. "We didn't want to tell anyone, it's still feeling like a fresh wound to me."

"And I'm only adding salt to it, aren't I?" Aria frowned, feeling guilt rise from her core. She hated seeing anyone cry, especially her friends. And the fact that it was her fault, because she couldn't mind her own business for two seconds, only made it all the more terrible. "Oh God, I'm a monster. Han, I am so sorry!" She cried softly, lip quivering.

"It's not your fault." Hanna replied, shaking her head. "It was going to come up some way…please don't feel bad. I needed this, trust me."

Aria looked at her with a look of disbelief. "But how can you be so ok with all of this? I feel like I just stabbed and tore off a sore limb of your life."

"The doctor said that letting people know would further the healing process, and I feel like he was right."

"So are you mad at me?"

"No, of course I'm not. I actually think you've really helped me just now." She gushed. "You know, I feel a weight's been lifted off my chest. Like I'm not harboring a burden any longer."

"Oh, okay. You're welcome…" The petite beauty said in a confused tone.

_-:- Lights will guide you home,  
and ignite your bones.  
And I will try to fix you -:-_

"You look beautiful, babe." Caleb said as he walked up behind his wife. He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her into him.

Hanna could feel his heartbeat through her shoulder blade. She blushed at his comment and looked at him through the mirror. "What a sweet thing to say, honey. What brought that on?"

Caleb sighed and kissed the top of her head, and proceeded to top off her shoulders with soft kisses as well. "You're just gorgeous. Especially in that dress, I mean good lord…"

Smiling, she adjusted the cherry red body con dress that clung to her body and pushed her boobs up. "Just trying to look sexy for the Christmas party." She whispered.

The couple had been invited to Noel Kahn's annual holiday party being held the night before Christmas Eve. It was a tradition Noel and his wife, Tessa started in college. As much as the liars and their men despised the man, they couldn't pass up an invite to the hottest, most festive party of the year.

"Damn," he murmured. "I don't know if I can make it all night at this party without ripping this off of you. It'd be so easy." He purred and plucked at the stretchy fabric around her waist. When he let it go, it snapped back against her skin like a rubber band.

She smacked his hand playfully and continued to apply makeup in the mirror. When she had finally finished, they walked out to the hallway, and downstairs to the den.

Ashley and Cooper were on the floor, engaged in a heated game of Candy Land. Cooper noticed his parents' entrance immediately and looked up, smiling. "Mommy, you look so pretty! Just like Elastic Girl!" He told her, referencing the Pixar film.

Caleb stifled a laugh at his son's comment and Hanna blushed. "Thanks, Buddy." She got to the bottom of the stairs and unhooked her coat from the rack by the door. "Are you going to be good for Nana? Who am I kidding, of course you will."

Cooper scampered over to her and hugged his arms around her legs. "Mommy, I love you."

She felt her heart flutter at the notion and she ran her hands through his fluffy brown hair. "I love you too, Boo." Hanna crouched down to Cooper's level and kissed his on the nose, then wiped off the lip gloss that stuck.

Cooper turned to Caleb and raised his arms. His dad took him up in his arms and squeezed him tight. Before setting him back down, he stopped to tickle him a bit.

"Daddy, quit ticklin' me!" He giggled furiously. "No tickles!"

Hanna laughed along with her son, watching and savoring the pure joy on his face as he was attacked by her husband. Finally she caught her breath and pulled Cooper out of Caleb's arms. She set him on the floor and grabbed Caleb's arm. "C'mon, Daddy-O. We have a party to get to."

"Have fun, you two!" Ashley said as she walked them out.

"Thanks, Mom." Hanna hugged her goodbye. "Don't wait up, we will be back by two."

_**I know this is probably the worst end to a chapter, but I wanted to get this up and at least it ended happily, am I right? This chapter was all over the place, and I'm not so proud of it... but I couldn't let it sit idle any longer. **_

_**PS: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check out my newest Haleb/Spoby story, "You're the Get Away Car" which is on my page. Currently, it's a one-shot, but if I could get more feedback, I might consider making it a two-shot.**_


	7. Author's Note

**_- THIS IS AN AUTHORS NOTE-_**

Morning, you all! I know you're probably very disappointed that this is merely an author's note, but I needed to give some information.

I'm thinking about putting this story on hiatus, or until I can get time to write it again. I just feel like nothing I am writing is being and appreciated. Not that my usual readers are doing a bad job, you're not! You're wonderful, but I feel like I'm not writing this story for a reason. I need to be driven, and so far I'm not.

I'm really sorry if you are one of the usual readers, I really hope you'll stick around.

I don't know when I'll update again to be honest, but you should all keep your eyes out for some other stories that I have yet to post.

Have a good week!


	8. It's Christmastime in the City

_**Welcome back. This chapter is for you Emily lovers. If you dislike Paily, you might want to avoid this one! Enjoy.**_

* * *

_-:- it's christmastime in the city -:-_

Fluffy, white snow collected silently on the frozen ground outside the Rosewood Galleria Mall as cars whooshed in and out of the parking lots.

Inside stood a long line of families, eager to have their visit with Santa, which wrapped around the corner.

At the front of the line, just two families from Santa's chair, Cooper and Taylor practically vibrated with excitement as they awaited their turn.

"What are you gonna ask him for, Tay?" The five-year-old prodded his best friend.

"I told you, I want a my size pony and tea set!" She informed him for what seemed like the forty-eighth time. They sat silently for a few seconds before her patience got the better of her. "Did you add something else to your list?"

"They're relentless," Hanna stated to her husband as they watched the children entertain themselves.

Caleb laughed softly and shrugged. "They're five, babe. What else is there to talk about when you've got the attention span of a squirrel?"

Hanna smacked his chest playfully as they moved up one spot in line. She rocked on the heels of her boots and sighed. "I never thought that I would become one of those parents who actually waits hours and hours in line, just to let my child have a one minute conversation with an obese actor..."

"Well, look where we are now." He teased. He wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder and squeezed her arm lightly. "After this we can go grab a coffee or something."

"I hope this line moves fast, I promised Melissa that I would have Taylor back by five." Hanna groaned, gazing at her watch.

"What's a few minutes? Let the kid have a little fun."

"They're flying out to Aspen to spend Christmas with Isaac's parents." She replied, killing the joke.

Cooper then toddled over and grabbed his mom a hand and pulled her to the front. "Mommy, it's our turn!"

"Okay, boo." She giggled. "Daddy and I are going to watch you ans Tay over by the big snowman, okay?"

Cooper nodded and followed Taylor to the throne where St. Nick sat.

"Aw, how precious!" Hanna gushed as she snapped pictures of the kids on her phone. "Oh, Melissa will LOVE these."

Caleb rolled his eyes at his wife but continued to watch his son, waving at Cooper suddenly grew shy at Santa's question.

"Cooper wants an new Iron Man costume and the aviation Legos. Duh!" Taylor informed the jolly man when Cooper remained silent.

'Santa' laughed jovially and jiggled his knees, causing both children to break into a fit of giggles.

"Is that all, young man?"

"Uh..." Cooper began nervously, shifting his eyes to his parents and back to the bearded man. "I want a baby sister." He finished quietly.

Across the restriction ropes, Hanna's mouth hung open.

Caleb stood, wide-eyed and frozen. "What?"

The seasonally paid actor bounced the children again and asked, "Why do you want a baby sister?"

Cooper shrugged. "I dunno. My Aunt Spencer just had a baby. Her name is Avery and she's so cool. I just think that it would be fun."

"Me too," Taylor added.

"Well, children." The man breathed awkwardly. "I think that is something that you should ask your parents about. I will do what I can, and my elves will try to get back to you on that." He finished, setting both kids back on the velvet carpet which surrounded them.

"Thank you, Santy Clause!" Taylor shouted after her as she and Cooper raced to the adults.

"So did you have fun?" Caleb asked as he and his wife walked the children to their car.

"Yeah. He was a little scary, but he was very nice." Cooper answered simply, taking licks from his red and green lollipop the elf had handed him when they left.

Hanna forced a smile and rubbed her son's back as Caleb carried him at his side. "I saw you got a bit shy for a moment, didn't you?"

He nodded. "But then I remembered what Nana told me to ask him if I forgot my real list."

Both his parents sighed in relief. After having buckled them into their seats, they got into the front two seats. Hanna squinted at Cooper through the rearview mirror. "So you don't want a baby sister?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "Babies are fun and all, but when they cry it gets like, really loud!"

Caleb laughed softly. "Bud, it's ok if you don't. Babies are a pretty big deal."

It was hard for both parents not to laugh at themselves for sounding so lame when speaking of the particular topic. It was beginning to sound more like the birds and the bees discussion than anything else.

"I know," he replied. "But it sounds like lots of fun. And I would always have someone to play with and trick-or-treat with. And we could make forts like Uncle Toby and me do...but I like just having Mommy, Daddy, and Coopster."

Hanna had to sink her head downward to wipe the almost non-visible tear that gathered in her eye. She sniffed loudly and giggled. "Coop, I think that's wonderful. And I love having Daddy and I and Coopster too."

"I want a baby sister to play dress up with and to play sharks as minnows and hide 'n go seek with." Taylor interrupted.

"I'm sure your mom does, too." Caleb told the little girl.

* * *

When they left Melissa's town home the family of three drive back to Rosewood, and to Aria and Ezra's for dinner.

"Welcome, you guys." Ezra smiled as he opened the front door.

"Uncle Ezra!" Cooper launched himself at his uncle's leg.

"Dude, I missed you, too." The dark haired man laughed and patted the child's back.

"Merry Christmas Eve," Hanna said as she pulled him in for a one-armed hug before following her son inside.

"Hey, man." Caleb greeted him with a handshake before entering the house.

In the excessively decorated home, the friends were gathered around, chatting.

Spencer and Toby sat on the love seat by the fireplace, Avery wrapped in blankets on her mother's lap. They cooed and made funny faces at the giddy infant.

"My God, she's already the next Albert Einstein." Teased Hanna as she entered the room.

The couple looked up from the distracting baby and blushed. "She's very talkative for a few weeks old, I know. But it's not uncommon."

"Whatever. Coop didn't gab until three months. Just coos and grunts." The blonde defended playfully. She sat down on Spencer's other side and began marveling at little Avery.

"Merry Christmas Eve, you guys!" Emily called as she and Paige entered the house. The women walked over and sat in the chairs across from the fireplace where Hanna and the new parents were.

Emily immediately retreated to Spencer and pried Avery off her hands. "My goddaughter is getting so big." She cooed in a sing-song voice. She tapped the little girl's dimpled chin lightly and smiled. "You need so stop growing right now, you have to stay little Avery forever!"

Paige looked on with a loving gleam in her eye, marveling at how natural her girlfriend was with the baby.

"Okay, dinner is ready!" Ella called from the kitchen where she and Aria had been slaving all afternoon.

Everyone ventured into the formal dining room to eat. Spencer put Avery in a bouncy seat and then took a seat at the table next to her husband and Hanna.

"Oh my God, Ella! This is phenomenal." Hanna praised as she ate the woman's roast.

"Thanks, Kiddo. I'd be happy to give you the recipe later on."

Chewing her bite, Hanna tried not to choke as she laughed. "If I cold cook, that would be feasible. I burn water."

"Mom, that's not possible." Cooper stated from his seat next to Ezra who chuckled, having obviously said that under his breath first.

"Cute..." She glared at them. "Trying to turn my own kid against me?"

Emily and Paige made moves to tap their knives against their glasses lightly. Everyone turned toward them with curious looks.

"You clinked," Spencer observed.

The women looked at each other, and Paige gave Em an encouraging nod to continue. The tan on Emily's cheeks slowly faded into a deep crimson with her blush and she returned the nod.

"We have some news," Paige finally announced.

"Okay...neither one of you has a ring, so I won't ask if you're engaged..." Aria furrowed her brow and pursed her lips.

Toby perked up, "I know, you got that spot on the US Olympic training team!"

Emily shook her head. "No, I quit swimming recently."

"What? Why?" Spencer asked.

She shrugged. "I don't have the time, what with work."

"... Then what is it?" Hanna inquired.

The pair shared sideways glances at each other and Paige pulled a folded up sheet of computer paper out of her sweater pocket and handed it to Hanna.

As she unfolded it, Hanna's confusion slowly melted away. She laid it out on the table and smoothed the folded parts.

"Oh, Em!" Hanna cried.

"What is it?" Spencer practically bounced in her seat, trying to get a peek.

Paige cleared her throat and began to explain the papers to the rest of the table. "A couple months ago, Em and I sent in our profile to some adoption services and agencies in other countries.

"We were let go by the agency in Somalia, because it shut down." Emily explained further, as everyone's face grew aware and excited. "But last month, the day after Avery was born, our wishes were granted when the agency in Beijing called - we're getting a baby!"

Aria squealed and all the girls got out of their seats and took turns hugging their friends.

When they sat down, Spencer was still about to burst. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," Paige answered.

"Her name is Raina. But we get to choose the middle name, and we think we're going with Pam. She's going to be six months old when we bring her home."

"Oh, Emily. Your mother must be so excited!" Ella declared, her hands clasped together in delight. Then she looked to her own daughter and son-in-law, glaring. "When do I get a granddaughter to be a namesake for?"

The couple looked back defensively as everyone continued gabbing with Paige and Emily.

"Mom, we just moved into our house." Aria stated, holding onto Ezra's arm which draped over her shoulder.

"Four months ago. Four months is plenty of time to settle into a house. You've been completely moved in for at least three."

"Ella, Aria and I don't think we're ready just yet for a baby. We are still young-" a glare from Ella came, "Aria is still young."

"Yeah, and I just started my new job managing the Brew's new bookstore for Zack. I'm kind of busy." His petite wife added.

Ella let out an exasperated sigh and crossed her arms. "I just want a grandchild so badly."

"Then ask Mike."

At the other end of the table, Hanna and Emily were still chatting.

"So when do you guys leave for China?" The blonde asked, smoothing out the now tattered piece of paper so she could get a better look.

"Uh, I think the week after New Years."

"That's so quick!"

Emily nodded. "It would be quicker, but they don't like doing a lot of pick-ups during the holidays. It gets pretty hectic."

"I can imagine."

Caleb sat back down in a chair next to his wife and set down a plate of cake for them to share. He pulled Hanna into his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

Hanna began taking small bites of the cake, spoon feeding Caleb every once in a while.

"Em, I am so happy for you. Caleb and I are really proud!" She said as she finished up eating.

"Yeah, congratulations!" He insisted.

"Thanks, you guys." Emily beamed.

Caleb retreated back to the kitchen with the empty dessert plate, passing his son on the way. Cooper ran up to Emily and rested his elbows on her knees and propped his face up in his hands.

"Auntie Em, am I getting another cousin?"

Emily beamed more and nodded. "Yeah, baby. Are you excited for her?"

He shrugged. "Sure, but I wish she was a boy like me."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Coop. But we don't get to choose what kind of baby we get." She ran her palm over top of his hair and down his cheek.

Cooper thought for a minute before he asked, "Auntie Em, how come you're not fat like Aunt Spencer was?"

"Boo, Auntie Em doesn't get fa- ...pregnant because she's adopting her and Aunt Paige's baby." Hanna explained.

The little boy squinted and looked back and forth at the women. "What's 'dopting?"

Emily pulled the child in her lap and rested her head over his shoulder. "Coop, sometimes married people, like your mommy and daddy, can't have their own baby. Aunt Paige and I can't because we're both girls."

"But mommy says you can only get pregnant if you love each other,"

Hanna nodded. "Yes, but a girl needs a boy to have a baby."

Emily rocked her knees up and down and continued. "Aunt Paige and I love each other very, very much. But since we can't have our own baby, we're going to adopt one from China, and then we will bring her home with us. She will be ours here in Rosewood, and we will call her our own while she will call us her parents."

"So she's Chinese?" He asked in disbelief.

Hanna giggled at this. "She will be. But does that even matter, as long as we all welcome her and love her?"

Cooper shook his head. "No. This sounds super fun." He glanced over his shoulder at his aunt. "I can't wait to meet her!"

Emily sniffled slightly and squeezed him tightly in a hug. "I can't wait to meet her either, babe. And to bring her home and introduce you to her."

* * *

Later that night, the family had finally arrived back home from the gathering. Cooper was ordered upstairs immediately to get ready for bed before he could come back to watch a movie.

Every Christmas Eve, the family would piled on the couch in the den and watch "Elf." It wasn't the most classic movie, but it was coming to be a tradition for them as years passed.

When it was over, Cooper shot off the couch and ran over next to the fireplace, crouching down beside it.

"What are you doing, Boo?" Hanna asked as she folded the blankets they'd been under.

"We forgot his cookies!" He replied in distress.

She chuckled and laid the blanket she had been folding back on the couch. Walking over to him she said, "Baby, we ate all the cookies that Nana made us."

Cooper's eyes bugged out at this discovery. "Then what are we supposed to give Santa?! He might get hungry and pass out on our floor because there are no cookies. And THEN he couldn't deliver presents to other kids in the world, like Auntie Em's baby!"

"Okay, okay," she whispered, trying to appease him. "We will get him cookies. But it's bedtime now, so I will make sure daddy goes to buy some."

"Promise?" He looked up at her with puppy eyes.

Hanna sighed, glancing at the clock on the tv box. "There's a roll of cookie dough in the fridge. I guess we could make him some right now, but we have to hurry. We don't want him to catch us awake!"

Cooper clapped his hands and jumped up and down. "We're making Santa emergency cookies, daddy!" He informed Caleb.

"Oh, fun. But you better get to it." Caleb replied, yawning.

"C'mon, mom!" He grabbed Hanna's hand and dragged her into the kitchen.

When the cookies were finally done, the couple put their son to bed and retreated back into their bedroom after setting out the gifts.

"Tomorrow is Christmas." Hanna whispered as they laid in bed.

"It is, isn't it?" Caleb turned his head to look at her.

"It came so fast. One minute we're carving pumpkins and the next..."

"Pretty crazy." He rolled over and propped his head on his hand. "What did you ask Santa for?"

She giggle and blushed. "I can't tell you, I do want it to come true you know! But I can give you a hint..." She sat up and dove in for his lips, suctioning them in hers. She kissed him forcefully, sliding her tongue over his bottom lip and nipping at it.

He then wrapped his arms around her waist and rolled them both over so that she was below him.

Between heated, passionate kisses, he whispered, "I think I can guess."

* * *

**_How was that? I know I said I would put it on hiatus, but I suddenly got a burst of ideas. _**

**_Sorry if I worried any of you. I really haven't been feeling this story because of the lack of attention it's getting. I'm not trying to sound selfish, but I wish you all could review more. _**

**_More reviews=Faster updates. Its basic Fanfiction logic._**

**_Anyway, have a good weekend!_**


	9. Some Things are Worth the Wait

_**Welcome back to the story! Again I will say, if you don't enjoy Paily, don't bother reading this one. I own none of it, other than Cooper and Raina..and Avery, I guess. Read on...**_

* * *

_-:- some things are worth the wait -:-_

* * *

"Who throws a party for a baby?" Aria griped for the fourth time that morning.

Hanna checked her grocery list and struck a line of ink through the last item as she turned the cart towards check out. She rolled her eyes at her friend's remark. "Apparently Spencer and Toby do. Avery is officially two months old. But, Ari, I'm pretty sure the party is for Raina..."

The raven-haired woman drummed her maroon fingernails on the self-check out counter and sighed. "When does Em and Paige's plane touch down?"

"Um, I think it should be any minute now. They said they'd text us when they were off."

"It's exciting, isn't it? Our best friend, finally happy with someone she loves, and adopting a baby!"

Hanna nodded, occupied by the touch-screen cashier. "She's really come a long way." She glanced over at her friend, who seemed to be acting dejected since they had met up for coffee earlier. "What's up with you? You barely touched your blueberry scone this morning. Is something going on with Ezra?"

Aria sighed. "Yes, well yes and no."

Hanna gave her an encouraging glance. "So?"

"Well, Malcolm is coming over tomorrow to spend the weekend with us."

"That's exciting! His first weekend in the new house?"

"Yep," she nodded. "I'm nervous, because Maggie, well you know how she feels about me."

"Aria, step moms can be cool. Just because ours aren't, doesn't mean you don't have to be." Hanna told her as she pushed the cart through the parking lot.

"I know. And I am, Mack and I have a great relationship. But sometimes I feel like Maggie is feeding him these lies, trying to make me sound bad, you know?"

Hanna clicked the car lock. "Aria, trust me. I know it seems like that, but try stepping into her shoes. Maggie was Mack's only mom for at least the first ten years of his life. Imagine if your kid had another mom. Wouldn't you be constantly worried that they'd have a better relationship together?"

"Yes, but I don't see why she should feel so threatened. I've been nothing but welcoming to her, but she's never gotten comfortable with me." Aria said, climbing into the front seat.

"Then obviously she's not going to come around, which sucks because you're an amazing person who anyone would be lucky to have around."

Aria smiled back confidently and blushed. She could always count on Hanna for a pep talk. Hanna was one of the only friends she could talk to about things like divorce and step-parents.

After graduation, Byron got a promotion and the woman who took his place, Lydia, was just a bit younger than Aria's mother. She and Byron hit it off immediately, and got married the summer after Aria's sophmore year at NYU.

They had only met so many times, what with her and Ezra moving to New York. Lydia wasn't as horrid as Meredith, but she never let herself warm up to the idea of having step children. She wasn't used to having them, or having anything extra to think about other than Byron or herself.

"I'm really glad you're so understanding, Han. If I tried talking to anyone else about this, they'd all tell me to suck it up." She added.

Hanna turned her head away from the road when they reached a red light. "You haven't mentioned this to Ezra, have you?"

She shook her head in reply. "No, I don't want to freak him out or anything. He would probably confront Maggie and I just don't want any trouble. It's not like there's an evident problem."

"If it's bothering you, you should tell him. He won't confront her if you ask him not to. Just let him know what's going on. He's your husband. He will understand."

* * *

"Momma, when is Raina gonna be here?"

Hanna stepped down from the stool where she had been pinning up the "Welcome Home" sign in the foyer of Emily and Paige's townhouse. She looked at her watch. "Um, Aunt Aria should be getting them back from the airport any minute. Do you want to make the baby a card?"

"Yes! I want to make her the BEST card ever, because I really want her to like me!"

"Aw, Coop. You know she will regardless of the card, though I'm sure she'd love one." She replied, ruffling his hair.

They walked over to Paige's desk in the office and Hanna stole some paper from the printer and fetched the ziploc of coloring utensils that Emily kept for him and Taylor in the cupboard.

Em and Paige lived in a nice development that was closer to Philly, where Paige worked as a pediatric physical therapist. It was a quaint town home with two bedrooms, but with Emily's decorating, it looked like something out of a magazine.

About half an hour after Hanna had made sure to clean up around the house so it would be one less thing for the new moms to worry about, most of their friends had gathered in the living room waiting.

"Do you think they'll be too jet-lagged to visit with us?" Spencer asked as she burped Avery over her shoulder.

Ezra shook his head and set down his beer. "Aria texted me earlier. She said that they were all in great spirits. And that Raina is an angel."

"I'm sure she is," Hanna added. "She's lucky to have some of the most kind-hearted parents in the world." She spotted Spencer's sad look. "Next to you and Toby, of course."

"You're a great mom too, Han." Ezra said. "You and Caleb were meant to have children."

"Stop, I'm blushing." She replied. "Anyone can be a good parent, as long as they have a heart full of love, one thats in the right place."

"Which is exactly where yours is," Caleb finished.

A minute later, the front door opened and Aria waltzed in carrying some of the luggage. She set the bags down in the foyer and cleared her throat. "Friends and loved ones, I would like to present, for the first time, all the way from Beijing, China...Raina Pamela Fields-McCullers!"

Emily and Paige entered afterwards, Emily had Raina in her carrier and Paige had the rest of the luggage. Both were beaming wildly, excited to showcase their newest edition.

"Aria, we said no formal introduction." Paige said as a blush formed.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't not. This is a big deal." She retorted innocently.

Emily walked into the living room and set down the carrier. "Everyone, come meet our daughter."

Pam burst through the crowd of friends and family from the kitchen and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "Em, I am so proud of you! She is absolutely gorgeous."

"Thanks, mom." She replied, hugging back.

Pam pulled away and went to hug Paige as well. "You are both so wonderful, thank you for making me so proud."

Ella, who sat on the couch beside Ezra and Zack, gave her daughter a knowing look to which Aria rolled her eyes and retreated to the kitchen.

"Em, she's beautiful." Spencer gushed as she took her turn holding and getting to know her godchild.

"Yeah, you guys did good." Toby added, squeezing Emily's hand.

"Thank you, guys. You're the best. And Paige and I are so grateful to have such supportive friends, like all of you." Emily replied, pulling Paige in by her waist and kissing her cheek.

When Raina had finally made her way to Hanna and Caleb, she as growing fatigued and her eyes fluttered. "Oh my God. She is the most amazing human being I've ever met. She's so graceful, even while she sleeps."

Caleb ran his hand over the infant's jet black tufts. "She really is. I remember when this was you, Cooper."

Cooper furrowed his brow. "I was a girl baby?"

Hanna chuckled and shook her head. "No, but you were this small. You were a good baby, really precious."

Aria interrupted their conversation when she asked the couple, "So was she nervous to leave the orphanage?"

"No," Paige answered. "Actually, she was completely fine with leaving."

"What was it like when you first met her?" Spencer asked.

Emily set down her glass of water and smiled. "It was amazing. We and all the other parents met in a room, and got to know each other. We were there for about forty five minutes while the social workers explained how it'd all go. Paige and I actually met another lesbian couple, Sydney and Farrah. They were adopting a little girl too, her name was Danielle and she was actually Raina's cousin."

"Really?" Spencer asked again.

Paige nodded. "Yep. They live in Chicago. We made plans to meet up some time when the girls were a little older."

"Anyway," Emily continued. "When we finally met her, we walked into the room and there she was, with a nurse. She was fussy because of all the excitement, it was all a little overwhelming. But then we got to her, and they handed her to me...a she smiled. And I knew that she was meant to be ours."

Hanna was choked up at the story, but willed herself to speak. "I am so happy for you two. You deserve this more than anyone. Congratulations."

Emily smiled and too Raina into her arms, rocking her. "Some things are worth waiting for."

* * *

Little Raina is here! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, and in your review that I know you'll give me...please include your ideas for future chapters. Just so I can have some ideas.

Have a good day!


	10. The Almost-Valentines-Day Disaster

**_I am SO SORRY for the delay! Thanksgiving break basically consumed me and all my time... and I've been catching up on school. Anyway, my last chapter wasn't my best, I'm sorry. I am still learning my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. One of those strengths is waiting until I have a complete idea of what I want out of a chapter, so I know that I've written to my best abilities._**

**_Anyway, this chapter has a little more Ezria than most, so I hope it's good enough. I haven't written them in a while. _**

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own any part of the Pretty Little Liars franchise_.

* * *

-:- you really got a hold on me -:-

* * *

"But why is Cupid so famous?"

"Coop, for the last time... Cupid was a saint who set people in true love up with one another."

"But that scary lady on tv with the gigantic mouth does that, but there's no holiday for her!" Cooper retorted.

Hanna sighed as she continued to scrub the bathtub. "Honey, momma wants to get her cleaning done before Nana Claudia gets here. Can you go get your dad to help you with your worksheet?"

Cooper sighed, nodded and raced out of the guest bathroom.

Hanna sat back on her knees and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. She had been slammed with cleaning the already clean house for her mother-in-law's arrival. Claudia had never seen any of the new house, apart from when Hanna would email her pictures of decor and housewarming gifts.

It was the Friday before Valentines Day on Sunday, and the family was expecting company the following Monday. Hanna had been busying herself with cleaning all week long, barely stopping to do much more than sleeping or eating. Whenever she had finished one room in the house, she would go back and find something wrong with the previous room, and have to start all over again.

As she exited, she came upon one of her son's toys in the hallway. She nearly stepped on it, but noticed it before. Picking it up, she scowled. "Coop, please stop leaving your toys everywhere. I'm trying to clean!"

The five-year-old wandered out of his playroom and cowered, bending down to collect his army men. "I'm sorry, mommy." He murmured.

Caleb came from around the corner with a mug of coffee, still in his pajamas. "Han, it's seven in the morning. How long have you been up?"

She flickered her eyes at him guiltily and casually whispered, "I got up at four thirty."

"Four thirty? Hanna, you need to sleep. It's been like this for like, three or four days straight." His eyes bugged out as he scolded her. He reached to lay the back of his hand on her forehead. "Babe, you're burning up. Get in bed, please."

She glared back. "What? No, there's too much to do. Everything is out of its place, I need to clean it up before your mother arrives."

Caleb set his mug on the hall table and took the sponge and cleaning solution from her firm grasp, almost having to yank it just to get her to let go. "Come with me,"

He took her by the shoulders and walked her slowly down to the end of the hall. Stopping as they came upon their bedroom. He gave her a soft shove forward and followed her inside. "Okay. It's time to sleep,"

She tried to protest, but couldn't find her words.

"No, you are sick, and you're not acting yourself. Since when do you clean? Sleep is what you need, so sleep is what you will get."

"What about Cooper?" She whimpered.

"Relax. I'll drop him off at school and get Aria or someone to pick him up. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

She made a move to sit up, "But I really feel fine,"

Caleb pushed her slowly back down by her shoulders and pulled the blanket over her body as she made no attempt to hide her shiver. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her sweltering forehead.

"Call me when you wake up, okay?"

"I will." She nodded back, yawning.

* * *

"Caleb, what's up?" Ashley asked when she answered her cell phone an hour later.

Caleb settled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he worked diligently at his desk. "Hanna's sick. She's been prepping our house all week because my mom is coming, as I guess it all caught up to her."

"Oh, poor baby." She replied, seeming to be busying herself with something.

"Anyway, can you maybe go over there around lunch and check up on her? She was in bed when I left an hour ago, but she was pretty adamant about staying up and about."

"Okay, well what's happening with Cooper?"

"Melissa is taking him and Tay to see a movie after school, and I'll pick him up on my way home."

"Alright, I'll make sure to stop by and see Hanna. Thanks for calling, Caleb."

"Yep, and thanks to you. I'll see you around, bye." He hung up.

* * *

At around noon, Hanna's eyes fluttered open and she flinched as the bright daylight pierced her eyes.

"Rise and shine, baby."

Hanna grumbled and sat up in the bed, cursing the woman who stood at the door.

"Mom, what are you doing here? God, you scared me."

Ashley shot a glare back and shifted her weight. "It's noon. Caleb told me to come check up on you... Make sure you haven't escaped."

"Why would I escape my own house?" She mumbled, laying back down and pulling the comforter over her head.

"Oh no you don't!" Ashley acted faster and yanked the blanket back down the bed. "Get up before you fall into a narcoleptic stupor."

"What the Hell is that? Do I seem like the woman who would?"

"No. But you're also not the girl who spends 48 hours cleaning every inch of her house." The red haired woman began folding the blanket in her arms.

Hanna rubbed her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest. "I haven't been myself lately, mom. If you hadn't noticed, I've had a lot going on." She mumbled, referring to the past months' events, particularly her miscarriage.

Her mother sat on the bottom corner of the king frame and sighed. "I know, baby. And it really has taken a toll on the bright woman I know you still are. It's going to take time to get her back - I know that." Ashley reached for the box of kleenex on the bedside table and tossed it on the bed in front of her daughter. "Right now, lets focus on you disturbingly snotty nose."

She chuckled, taking the box from below her feet and took a few tissues out, blowing daintily at her nose and holding the wad up for Ashley to see. "Better?" She asked.

Ashley nodded and held up the trash a second before realizing it was already full. She dropped it steadily back down. "Oh, God. Hanna, you threw up?"

"Oh yeah," Hanna quickly had forgotten momentarily about purging her stomach of the little bit of whatever she had eaten for dinner the previous night, into the bin. "Sorry?"

"So stomach bug? Alright, we're going to get through this." Her mother began talking quietly to herself as she thought up a plan to treat Hanna's illness. "I've got it," she referred to the basket her daughter was now trying to clean out.

"I can't leave this room. Coop could catch this, and there's too much going on." Hanna began panicking alongside Ashley. She ran her hands tiredly over her face again.

"Han, relax. I'll call Aria and ask if she and Ezra can keep him overnight while you fight off the worst of this."

She couldn't believe this. Claudia and Stephen would be arriving in nothing short of 48 hours and she was sick as a dog.

"I never get sick. How is this happening now?" She whimpered and tucked herself back into the bedding. "Will you make me soup?"

"You're twenty-two years old. Make your own soup."

"Please?" She formed her lips into a puppy dog pout. "I like your soup when I'm sick the best."

"Oh my God. Yes, fine, I'll go make some soup for you. Only because I know how sick you are and there's no one else in this house to do it for me." Ashley replied before turning around and leaving the bedroom.

Later on at the Rosewood Cinnaplex, a petite brunette woman met a confused Cooper in the lobby after the animation movie finished. "Why isn't mommy picking me up, where is she?"

"At home," Aria said as she fastened the buttons on the little boy's winter coat. She then rewrapped the red scarf around his neck and plopped his beanie over his head. "She is sick. So your daddy asked me and Uncle Ezra to bring you home to our house."

"Oh," said the boy quietly.

"What's the matter, Cooper? You wouldn't totally hate spending the night at our house tonight, I hope."

He shook his head. "I do wanna, I promise. But I brought home mommy's valentine today. I wanted to show her."

Aria grasped the child's hand in her own and squeezed it. "I know, bud. But she's very sick and she doesn't want you to catch it."

The pair walked out into the chilled, brisk winter and down the street toward the Fitz residence.

"Mommy takes care of me when I'm sick, but who's gonna take care of her?" He asked as they climbed up on a sidewalk after hurrying across an intersection.

"Well, your daddy is going to be there. I'm sure he will take care of her. And right now, Nana Ashley is there with your momma." She explained.

Cooper stopped for a minute on the sidewalk to think. "Is my mommy dying?" He asked, staring up at Aria.

"No, she's not going to die." She replied with a chuckle. "She just has the stomach bug."

"Cool," he whispered. "What's that?"

Aria reached down and ran her fingers over his soft hair that peeked out from the beanie. "You remember last summer when you threw up in the middle of the night?"

He nodded. "And then I couldn't stop?"

"Exactly. Your mommy threw up, and she's been sick, throwing up all morning and afternoon."

"Poor momma." He sighed as they came upon the front steps of their destination.

Aria closed the door behind them and proceeded to take her coat off. She hung it on the rack by the front door and took Cooper's from him and hung it next to hers.

Cooper turned around and frowned. "Where's Uncle Ezra?"

"Ezra's still at work, honey. He works until almost dinner time." She replied, walking him into the kitchen. She went to the fridge and got out the milk jug and pulled a batch cookies from the oven. "Do you like chocolate chip and raisins?"

"I've never had raisins in my cookies before." Cooper shrugged and held his glass out for Aria to pour his milk into. He took a cookie from the rack and bit into it. After a minute of chewing, he smiled.

"Good?" Aria inquired as she took a sip of milk.

"Yep!" He confirmed, shoving the rest of it into his little mouth.

"Whoa, slow down, C."

He swallowed slowly and took another swig of milk before giving Aria another toothy grin.

"That milk gave you a mustache, little man!" She giggled upon spotting his dairy-lined smile. "Hold on, let me take a picture!"

Cooper waited patiently on the barstool, careful not to smudge or erase the 'stash, for Aria to return with her camera.

"You momma will love this." She commented as she snapped picture after picture. After about the third shot, Cooper began making silly faces and posing for the camera.

About a minute later, Cooper got quiet but giggly. Aria gave him a of both confusion and amusement. "What is it?" She asked.

The five-year old continued to giggle almost fitfully. She turned around and gasped suddenly as Ezra pretended to pose dramatically behind her.

She laughed at her husband's antics and dropped the camera that hung on a strap around her neck. "When did you get home?"

"Just a second ago." He replied, leaning down and pecking her waiting lips.

"Uncle Ezra, you are so funny!" Cooper guffawed at the older man. He kicked his feet and grasped his chest as the laughs continued to roll out of his mouth.

"Thanks, bud." Ezra said, taking a cookie from the tray. He took a bite and raised his eyebrow. "Raisin and chocolate chip?"

"Just trying something new," his wife replied with a blush.

"Babe, you home?" Caleb called out as he kicked off his work shoes.

He walked into the living room, but found no one insight. The kitchen was empty and Ashley's car wasn't in the driveway, so he assumed she had left after he called and said he was on his way home.

As he ventured upstairs and down the hall, the faint whispers of obnoxious reality television could be heard pouring out of the master bedroom.

When he entered, Hanna immediately noticed. She smiled at him and nodded for him to join her on the bed.

"Hey, babe." She greeted Caleb as he climbed into the bed next to her tucked-in frame.

He kissed her cheek instead of her mouth and took her hand. "How are you feeling?"

Hanna shrugged. "It's the stomach flu. How am I supposed to feel, other than nauseous and practically hollow?"

"Touché," Caleb laughed. "How was your day with your mom?"

"Mmm, fine." She murmured. "She made me soup and we watched BRAVO."

He smiled into her hair, stroking it softly as her head came to rest in the crook of his neck. "That sounds like the perfect day for me to be swamped at work."

Hanna then remembered that she hadn't made an effort to ask Caleb about his day.

She nuzzled into his neck and stared up at him. "Well what did you endure all day at work?"

"Same old, same old." He sighed. "Worked with Darren on our new software and then finished tying loose ends with investors and such."

"Sounds very productive." She replied.

"Have you had dinner?"

"Nah. I don't feel much like eating anything right now." She stated obviously.

He chuckled. "Right. So I assume you won't be mad that I already ate."

"At work?"

He nodded. "There was a party on the floor below and the human resources interns brought us the leftovers."

Hanna sat up and then laid herself back down, cuddling into Caleb in a spooning position. "Sounds like I missed out."

"Oh, you most certainly did. Although, I'm not sure how much sushi an ailing woman like you could eat." He teased, laying soft kisses on her neck.

"Auch!" She cringed and leapt off the bed, scurrying into the bathroom. "Why'd you have to mention that?"

* * *

**_Review, please! _**

**_X_**


	11. Love Them All the Same

**_Welcome back to you, my dedicated, lovely readers, and to my inspiration, which has made a comeback (finally!) I'm so excited to share these next few chapters with you all. I think you're going to enjoy them. Hopefully we can get this story back to the booming-reviewed status it used to be! _**

**_I only have one word to describe the pathetic pace of this story: School. _**

**_Anyway, enjoy chapter ten! (It feels like ch. fifteen, though!)_**

* * *

_~:~ If you can love somebody, love them all the same ~:~_

* * *

Monday rolled around faster than Hanna could have ever thought possible. Luckily in Hanna's favor, the "bug" she had endured on Thursday and Friday had completely and unusually subsided by Sunday afternoon, and she was able to prepare for hosting guests.

It was now Monday, Claudia and Stephen's plane was due to land any minute as the family of three sat patiently by baggage to await their relatives. Cooper colored diligently in his Amazing Spider-Man activity book while his parents chit-chatted about general events.

The family had rushed to the airport after quickly picking Cooper up from school upon his insistence to greet his grandparents and uncles off their flight.

After finishing his current coloring page, the little boy became bored and decided to entertain himself by asking a series of questions to his mother. "Momma, have I ever been on an airplane?"

Hanna turned around from where she and Caleb were discussing dinner plans for that evening and pursed her lips in thought. "Mmm, yes. When you were still in my tummy, I flew to California to visit daddy and Grandma Claudia. And when you were one, we took a vacation together after daddy and I got married. We went to a place called Maui."

His eyes lit up at the story. "I'VE BEEN TO HAWAII?"

"How did you know that was in Hawaii?" Caleb asked, surprised.

Cooper shrugged. "Tay has a big, colorful map on her wall and we use when we play Teacher. Hawaii is GINORMOUS!"

"It's a pretty big state."

After Hanna had caught her breath from laughing at her adorably intelligent son, she finally added. "I think I see a career in geography in your future."

"No, mommy." He shook his head. "I'm gonna be a superhero in disguise like Toby Stark and Peter Parker!"

"Oh, of course." She giggled, playing along.

Caleb guffawed. "What happened to you wanting to be just like me, kid?"

"Daddy, I said I wanted to be a my own superhero. You're superhero is already taken by you!" Cooper explained simply, though the words didn't sound sensical as they first came out.

Soon, the signs that monitored the flights flipped the Montecito plane to arrived. The family waited patiently for the passengers to leave the plane.

"Gamma!" Cooper said as he spotted Claudia and Stephen and the boys stepping out of their gate. There was a little body scanner that separated the two families and Hanna had to hold the boy back from running right through it to meet his family.

"Mini Cooper!" Claudia cooed as she welcomed her grandson into her arms. They stayed for a minute just hugging and she bathed him in greeting kisses all over his face.

"Gamma, you're tickling me!" He managed to get out between strong giggles.

"Sorry but Gamma missed you so much."

Cooper pulled back, beaming. "I missed you too, Gamma. Why haven't you come to visit yet?"

"Because I was busy with my work. I would've gotten here sooner but I wanted you all to be settled when we came." She pulled him up and set him on her hip. "Caleb," she hugged him at his side.

"Hey, mom." He replied, rubbing her back. He moved and let Hanna hug his mother hello next.

"Claudia!" Hanna hugged her and they kissed each other's cheeks.

Claudia set Cooper down and took Stephen's hand after he and Caleb had shook hands hello.

Caleb walked over to his little brothers, who had both grown considerably since the last time he had seen them in person rather than in a picture. "Dude, you're so tall!" He told Jamie's as he hugged him.

"Duh, I grew a ton." He informed his much older brother before returning to his hand held video game.

The man moved on to his youngest brother, Clay. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey, bro." They high-fived and Caleb grabbed the kid by his waist and picked him up, turning him upside down and shaking. Clay laughed wildly and begged to be put down while the blood visibly rushed to his head.

"Okay, settle down." Hanna ordered her husband.

"I'm glad you guys are here." Cooper told his grandparents as Stephen gave him a ride on his toned shoulders.

"So are we, babe." Claudia told him as she grabbed his dangling hand and kissed it.

* * *

Later on, the family sat around a large table at Constantine's, their favorite Italian restaurant that was fairly new to Rosewood.

Hanna held her napkin under Cooper's mouth as he slurped his fettuccine.

"Lets be polite, Coop." She whispered into his ear so no one could see. Cooper rolled his eyes and continued to slurp as Hanna continued to prop the cloth napkin under him.

Claudia stopped picking at her veal francese and sat up, her fork making a 'ding' noise as she set it on the table.

"So," she began with a smile, "have you guys thought of adding more to the family?"

Hanna dropped the napkin in shock, much to her son's confusion and looked up at her mother in law. Caleb choked on the water he had been sipping, he too remained silent.

"Huh?" Hanna spoke, cocking her head out for emphasis.

Claudia hesitated, obviously having not been prepared for their reaction. "I just think, you know, now might be the time. With the new house and Caleb's job...and all. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it," she looked back and forth at the couple's faces.

"Wha- no, nope. We haven't... thought about...that." Hanna stammered nervously, trying to play it off casually.

"It's just not in the cards right now, Mom." Caleb informed her calmly.

"Well, why not?" The older woman asked innocently.

"Because," her son replied between his teeth, "it's just not."

Having grasped her composure, Hanna added. "We've just been so busy ever since the move. Immediately after we moved it, we had to jump right into the holidays, full force. A lot's been on our plate."

"I'm sorry, that makes perfect sense." Claudia said, regaining her dignity. "Obviously you two and Coop have had so much going on."

"Glad you understand." Caleb deadpanned, returning to his beverage.

"How come you never had more kids, Claudia?" The daughter-in-law provoked.

"What?" Answered Claudia amusedly. She shrugged. "Have you seen my schedule? I barely have time for my boys as it is."

"Oh, but surely you haven't thought about it? I mean, you have all the means, so why not?"

"Okay, I see where you're getting. All I'll say is this; I never felt the longing for another."

"Longing?"

Claudia nodded. "Yeah. I was perfectly happy after Clay. If I found a need or want inside for another, I probably would've been able to convince Stephen to try again. That's the real question, kiddos, it's not that it's time for you to literally get pregnant in five minutes, but can you honestly say that you don't feel any want for another? Not even down, deep in your heart?"

Hanna sat back, twirling spaghetti around her fork and sighed. She hasn't thought about it in that way. Just because you don't have room in your plans, doesn't mean you don't have some in your heart.

Yes, maybe the car accident was a sign. If she was meant to have another baby, maybe it wouldn't be something she could control. Maybe it was just as well if it weren't planned.

On the other hand, she and Caleb were definitely starting to feel the pressure to have more children. From almost everyone they knew, too, as if it were inescapable.

* * *

Early on Friday morning, Stephen and Claudia had finally left, after a week of togetherness and enjoyment with Hanna and Caleb.

Hanna had been stewing over what all went on with her mother-in-law over dinner Monday night. On Thursday night as she laid in bed with Caleb, she had gotten up the courage to bring the subject back up again.

The couple talked seriously about their desires, and their fears, some more obvious than others. Eventually, they came to the mutual decision of what to do next.

After lunch on Friday, the parents of one sat comfortably in the mauve and teal patterned waiting room chairs of the ob-gyn practice.

Although it had been drastically renovated since Hanna's first pregnancy, a part of the atmosphere still made her feel like the jittery teen who sat in the corner, putting up a front of shamelessness. She wasn't even pregnant, but the mutual stares the women gave one another still creeped her out.

There was a couple straight across from her and Caleb by the door, a girl and a boy. Hanna thought they looked to be about seventeen or eighteen. One thing she could tell was for sure - they were both scared out of their minds. The girl, Genevieve as the nurse at the desk addressed her, looked to be about five or six months along, depending on how thin she really had been before getting pregnant. That was the one thing Hanna was grateful for; even though she grew to an ungodly size, her figure (thank you, god!) managed to stay in tact.

Genevieve's boyfriend sat next to her, twiddling his thumbs and glancing at the parenting magazines on the table by his feet. Her mother sat next to him, a calm look on her tired face as she scribbled down on a form attached to a clipboard. When she got up to talk to the woman in charge of the insurance, the two teens were left alone.

Hanna nudged Caleb and have him a knowing look, pointing at the couple through her gaze. Caleb followed it to the couple she had been watching. He sighed and cracked a half-smile. He sat up in his seat and turned to his wife, whispering, "I remember when that was us."

Hanna sighed contently. "I know. We were terrified."

"I think it all worked out," he shrugged. "hope they make it as far as we have."

"Yeah... What are we at now, five years?" She asked. Caleb nodded. "I bet we've broken some kind of record."

Caleb chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her. "That or we beat a ton of statistics."

"Mrs. Rivers?" A petite nurse called from the door that lead to the rest of the office. "Doctor's ready for you."

Hanna and Caleb stood from their seats, her giving the young couple an encouraging look. They followed the nurse down the hall and to a door on the end. The door plate read "Dr. Bowen, OB-GYN."

Inside, a women in her mid thirties sat still at her desk, typing away on her laptop. Looking up, she spotted the couple and smiled.

Hanna and Caleb took seats in the two leather chairs in front of the desk, holding each other's hand once they'd settled.

The woman stood and extended her hand for them to shake. "Good afternoon, I'm Lorraine Bowen." She introduced herself. "Nice to meet you... Hanna and Caleb?"

The couple nodded and took turns shaking her hand. Hanna couldn't help but to notice how cold and soft the doctor's hands were.

"Nice to meet you, too." The blonde replied, sitting back down.

Lorraine also sat back down in her swivel chair. She leaned back and crossed her legs, clasping her hands on the desk in front of her.

"Are you two familiar with this office? I noticed you're new to town."

Caleb shook his head. "We sort of grew up here."

"Yeah, we just moved back from New York City...where we attended college." Hanna added.

"Ah, so you've been a patient here before?"

"When I was eighteen, I have birth to our son, Cooper." Hanna said. "I actually was a patient of Dr. Halston's."

"Oh, yes! She was my mentor in med school. Pretty interesting woman."

"What happened to her?" Caleb asked.

Lorraine sat up and said, "Oh, she left about two years ago. Her husband got a job offer in New Hampshire, so she decided to open her own private practice there."

"That's great," they both replied.

Lorraine rolled her chair so her knees were under the desk and she began thumbing through the Rivers' file.

"Alright, Mr. And Mrs. Rivers, what can I do for you both today?" She asked in a more professional manor than before.

Hanna squeezed her husband's hand and drew in a breath. "We wanted to stop by and just, discuss the possibility of trying for another baby."

"Ah, why else would you come? Of course," the doctor said to herself, rifling through their file more. "I see about three months ago, you miscarried. Very sorry about that, but it's not uncommon within the first few weeks."

Hanna swallowed hard. "We know."

"However, nothing seems to have scarred or closed up. I'd say your chances of getting pregnant have stayed sufficiently normal." She pursed her lips and scanned the chart. Then she glanced back to the couple. "Are you sure that you're ready to try again, though? I have to admit, though your recovery is remarkable, something tells me that maybe you're trying to bridge a gap. Fill a hole?"

Hanna felt her cheeks begin to flush as her stomach caught her fallen heart. "I don't t-think so," she stuttered.

"Dr. Bowen, I know you've got every right to think those things of us and of our marriage, but I don't think that's what Hanna's motive is." Caleb cut in, watching Hanna stew out of the corner of his eye.

Lorraine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Very well. It's wonderful that you are healed and ready so soon, but as your doctor, I strongly advise you to really take your time thinking about this."

"We have," Hanna mumbled. "I don't know what kind of impression you get from us, or from couples like us, but I can say that I am one hundred percent sure of this decision. I have no motives and maybe I am trying to grasp thin air right now, but I promise you that I...we are more than ready to expand our family."

"Yes, I believe you. I just wanted you to know the dangers and challenges of this." The OB stood from her chair and walked over to her file cabinet and putting their folder away. "You've had a baby before, you know they're not some hamster that you can keep for a month and then give away..."

"What's the point that you are getting to, again?" Caleb asked nervously.

"Have you asked your son how he felt about this?"

"Well, not in so many words. We didn't tell him about the miscarriage." Hanna hung her head.

"If you're worried about attention, you should know that we love Cooper very much." Caleb spoke up again. "This isn't us ignoring him, this is us showing him how much we love each other and how much we'd love that baby."

"Who gave you permission to judge us?" Hanna added.

"Okay, I am not judging you, all I wanted to do was caution you on your decision which clearly you don't need. I apologize. That being said, I believe you'd have no problem trying for another child. I wish you both the best." Lorraine walked to the door and pulled it open, dismissing the couple.

* * *

"I vote for a new doctor." Caleb suggested as they drove out of the parking garage and onto the rainy streets of Rosewood.

Hanna sighed and bit her lip. She hadn't stopped thinking about everything the doctor had said. "Do you think maybe, she was right?"

The car pulled to a stop at a red light. Caleb looked toward her. "Of course not. Why, do you?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. "She was right about me possibly trying to bridge a gap. But do you feel like that?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I want whatever you want, Han."

"And I want a baby."

"So why shouldn't we have a baby?"

"Cooper." She whispered. "Dr. Bowen was right about that, too. We never asked him how he would feel about us having another baby."

"He's five. I think he would find it exciting; he loves Avery and Raina." Caleb said keeping his eyes on the road.

"Yes, but Avery and Raina don't keep him up all night crying on school nights." Hanna quipped.

He rolled his eyes. "That's something that he would have to get used to regardless."

"True, I guess." She rested her head on the window and watched the raindrops roll down. "Do you want a baby?"

"I do. And you?"

Hanna sighed and watched the rain continue to plop on the window. "More than anything."

"Then I guess that's our answer."

* * *

**_Please review! Every review is a smile on my face._**

**_And my heart and prayers go out to the brave, innocent lives of everyone lost in the Connecticut tragedy. It's a terrible thing that things like this continue to happen. No one deserves to go that way. Especially in the middle of what is supposed to be such a happy and joyous season. Please, please do me and those lost a favor...hug and thank your teachers for being brave every single day. And never forget to tell someone you love them, because you just never know what might happen. _**

**_Happy Holidays!_**


	12. Greetings, Darling Readers!

Greetings, my darling readers.

First things first... If you've been dedicated and kind enough to keep up with me and this story, I thank you deeply. You have no idea what it means to me!

Secondly, I've been receiving messages asking if I was continuing. Of COURSE I am. I have been so busy with my life, and it doesn't help that I'm trying to avoid the show like the Black Plague each Tuesday (to know avail, I might confess)

In short, all I need is a few days to finish this next chapter, because its been drafted for almost over a month, and post it as soon as I can.

Until then, I just felt that I needed to clarify my dedication that I do still have to this story.

Thank you all so much for keeping up with this story! I am so sorry that I've been taking my oh-so-sweet time getting this out.

xo Tay


	13. When One Door Swings Open

**I'm baaaaack! With another new chapter! I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update, but school has been a mother. I'm in the middle of figuring things out with college, and my life has been one time sucker after another. I apologize for making y'all wait so very long for this update, but I hope it's worth it all. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Pretty Little Liars franchise. And I'm glad, because I'm fairly certain this whole thing with Spoby would be enough to make me loose my mind and I'd get fired!**

* * *

_It's everything you wanted,_

_it's everything you don't_

_It's one door swinging open,_

_ and one door swinging closed_

* * *

Rain pelted on the glass windshield of Hanna's Mercedes as she navigated the roads of downtown Rosewood. It had been raining all week, which added to the solemn state she had found herself in ever since the visit with the doctor a week prior. It wasn't that she was upset about anything, she wasn't going to let anything depress her.

The week had flown by and it was already nearing March. Cooper had been sent home on Monday for catching a virus, so Hanna had busied herself taking care of her baby boy all week and most of the weekend.

It was now Friday and Hanna was on her way to meet Aria for coffee at the Brew, but the unexpected storm had really slowed traffic flow.

The blonde ran her fingers through her hair and let out a sigh. She tapped the smooth leather steering wheel with her freshly polished nails and looked out the window, watching the raindrops roll down endlessly.

She stared at the park across the street. Due to the bad weather it was bare of patrons, of course. Hanna watched as the trees sagged under the showering water and more rain dripped off the leaves.

Under the tree however, there was someone sitting on a bench, only a raincoat shielding then from the droplets of water that bounced off the leaved. Hanna was curious why anyone would dare to ruin their clothes just sitting there, but then she noticed something else. Whoever this was had a large backpack sitting next to them. When the light finally flashed to green, she frowned. She couldn't just leave a homeless person alone in the rai without a reasonable donation, so being the humanitarian she was, Hanna turned into the park.

Cursing as she stepped out of her car, she went to the trunk and fetched her umbrella, opening it over her head. The walking trail that led to the benches was drenched and the mud was so soft, Hanna could practically feel it seeping into the soles of her flats.

Soon she had made it to the duck pond and looked for the occupied bench. She found the girl hunched over on one. As she made her way over to her, Hanna gasped. The girl was pregnant. Like very, very pregnant.

"Are you ok?" She asked, walking around to the front of the bench.

The girl straightened up and gasped, clamping a hand over her heart. "God, you really know how to sneak up on a person!"

"I'm sorry." Hanna apologized.

"What do you want?" The girl quipped rudely. She gave Hanna a once over before scoffing and focusing back on her lap.

Hanna stuttered, not knowing what to say next. "Uh, I thought you were a homeless person so I came to offer to buy a coat, write a check. You know, just do the right thing."

The girl scowled. "If you knew the right thing to do, you'd leave me alone."

God, this girl was something. Luckily, the sass was nothing Hanna hadn't heard or expressed before. No amount of teen sass could scare her off. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen. Why?"

Hanna sighed and sat down next to the teen, who promptly scooted farther away. "Why are you out here alone?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" She snarled. "Whatever. Visiting a friend."

"Oh," Hanna offered, still not thinking of anything smart to say.

"My name is Erin... if you were wondering." She said. "Look, I'll save you the time. I was visiting a friend and I'm just waiting for my ride back home."

Hanna paused a moment and stared at the girl. She immediately felt for her, and could tell exactly how she was feeling. Obviously if she was waiting for the bus out of Rosewood, home wasn't as glamorous as some would think.

"Where's home?" She whispered, crossing her legs and getting comfortable.

Erin scowled and looked to the blonde peculiarly. Obviously she wasn't used to this much attention.

"Brookhaven." She sighed. "I stay at the Calliope House."

"Wait, that shelter for troubled young women?"

Erin laughed at the dramatized logo and nodded. Hanna blushed. "I saw the billboard."

"Am I done bearing my soul to you?" The red haired woman asked amusedly.

Hanna shook her head, licking her lips. "Who's the father?"

Looking down, Erin ran a hand over her large stomach. "Unimportant. He's out of the picture."

"How come?" Hanna cocked her head to the side and watched a pair of ducks waddle around the edge of the pond.

"It's just not in his plan. Our plan." She turned to Hanna. "I had a scholarship lined up at Vassar."

The blonde's head whipped around swiftly and she focused on the girl. "T-The college?"

Erin nodded. "But then when I got pregnant, they revoked it and deferred my application."

"I bet that pissed your parents off."

"Totally. They disowned me and sent me to a group home in Brookhaven."

Hanna sighed and looked at her watch. She was already ten minutes late for lunch, but she couldn't just leave Erin alone in the rain, pregnant no less.

"Do you want to get a burger? I'm supposed to meet my friend, but I can't just leave you alone." She proposed.

"No, that's ok. The bus to Brookhaven comes in an hour and the last one doesn't leave until tonight." The girl declined.

Hanna shook her head. "No, you're coming with me. You need fuel. Growing a baby is a harsh task."

"Because you would know." Erin laughed. Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Actually, I would. Now come on before Aria bails on me." She took Erin's hand and led her back to the car. As they drove the two miles to the grille, the two women stayed silent the whole time. When they pulled up in front of the restaurant, Aria was also just walking inside.

* * *

"Thank God, I thought I was going to be late." The tiny brunette exclaimed when she noticed her friend's presence. Almost immediately she noticed the special friend Hanna had brought. "Who's this?" She asked.

"I'm Erin."

Aria gave Hanna a confused look and shrugged. The hostess then sat them and took their orders.

When their food finally came, Erin dug in. Hanna wasn't surprised that she had such an appetite, but it did seem like it had been her first good meal in a while.

Breaking the silence, Aria set her fork down and took a sip of her water. "How far along are you?"

Erin swallowed and cleared her throat. "Um, I think almost 35 weeks."

Hanna paused, looking to the girl. "You think?"

"I've only been to one doctors appointment." She said between stuffing fries into her mouth. "My mom took me before she threw me out."

"Wait, if she threw you out, why would she still take you to the doctor?" Aria inquired.

Taking a sip of her water, Erin replied. "She wanted me to get an abortion. When I refused, she threw me out."

Hanna squinted. "If you had a scholarship, why didn't you get one?"

Aria elbowed her in the side and sent her a sideways glance. Hanna realized that question was a bit forthcoming and nosy, but she figured after all they'd already learned, it wasn't a big deal.

"Same reason other girls don't. It's my choice. I wanted to give this baby life, and there's someone out there who can't and I want to give them a chance to raise a child."

"That's really brave of you, Erin." Hanna told the girl.

Erin nodded. "Thanks. I'm hoping to meet with the adoption agency soon so I can pick out a portfolio."

The blonde looked to her friend and back to Erin. She sighed and took the girl's hand in hers and squeezed it. "Can we take you to the doctor? I know it's probably not the ideal situation, but you really should go, especially since you're this far along."

Aria nodded. "Please?"

The redhead pondered the idea in her head, carefully thinking of the benefits it could bring.

"I mean, I guess so." She said unsurely. "If you really want me to."

"You could see your baby. Find out the sex?" Hanna encouraged.

"Okay. If it makes you feel better, I will." She relents. "But I'm allowed to be skeptical, I've only known you almost am hour."

The two friends applauded themselves triumphantly for their plan. The trio soon finished their meal and was off to the clinic.

* * *

Hanna and Aria decided to go straight to the brunette's doctor instead of revisiting Dr. Bowen, risking more tension. The office was down the street from the bookstore Aria was about to buy, right down the block from The Grille.

Dr. McCall's office was much more modern than any office Hanna had visited in her time as a patient. She could tell by the interior design and accommodations that he this practitioner must charge more than her previous obgyn, but the sparkling water and espresso machine the secretaries offered the women were completely worth it. Dr. Bowen had an empty water cooler and tattered parenting magazines with the pages melted together.

Hanna could tell that Erin was uneasy about the impending visit. It wasn't a shock that she hadn't been given the proper care at the shelter, but it still made the two women feel more compelled to reach out.

"I didn't know you went to a male doctor, Ari." The blonde whispered to her friend while Erin turned in her forms.

Aria laughed and shrugged. "My dad's girlfriend, Amanda, recommended him. She went to him when she was pregnant with Grayer." Grayer was Aria's four-year-old step brother.

"Is it...weirder to have a man inspecting your nether regions than a women?" Erin asked nervously.

"No," Aria shook her head. "They're not complete pedos. It's exactly the same. And you shouldn't worry about him looking down there, this far into your pregnancy."

Hanna sat back in her chair, tapping her toe on the marble tile. She picked at her French manicure and watched whatever daytime soap played on the TV above them, barely making out the muffled things the actors were saying.

A few minutes later, they were called back to the examination room with a young nurse who checked Erin's blood pressure and weight. Afterwards, the three women were moved to a normal room.

Erin propped herself up on her elbows and sat, her legs dangling over the edge.

"Damn," Hanna stated, sitting back comfortably in one of the two office chairs by the door. "He's even got pillows."

Aria chuckled and grabbed a magazine off the desk. She was just able to open it before the door opened again.

"Afternoon, ladies." Said a man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies. He had bleach white hair that fluffed atop his head and big green eyes. "Aria Fitz, nice to see you again."

She smiled and shook the man's hand. He walked over to Erin and smiled. "You must be Miss Conrad. Very nice to meet you."

Erin smiled awkwardly and nodded, resting a hand on her stomach.

"So, lets get right down to business. What can I do for you?"

Erin was silent as she looked innocently from the doctor in front of her to the girls. Bravely, she spoke up. "Um, I'm just here for a check up."

Dr. McCall cleared his throat and smiled. "Alright then," he agreed. "Lets just start by taking a look at the baby."

As he moved the doppler around, the faint sound of a thumping heartbeat filled the room. On the screen, the white ghosty form moved around inside the womb. Aria made 'Aw' noises and Hanna reminisced about seeing Cooper up on the screen not too long ago.

"Seems like everything is going just right." He explained to the expectant teen. "Do you want to know the sex?"

All in unison, they said "Yes!"

"Hm," he hummed innocently as he focused in on one spot. "I see no male genitalia, so I believe it's safe to say that you're going to have a little girl!"

"Oh, my God!" Erin sighed and choked back tears.

Aria cooed and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye discreetly. "A little girl! Congratulations, Erin."

"Are you crying?" Hanna questioned her friend privately while the doctor talked just to Erin.

The tiny brunette gasped and looked at her. "You're not?"

Hanna was definitely happy about it all, but she didn't have the crying reflex her friends could have. "I've cried so much these past few months, I don't have a tear left to shed."

When they were done and the nurse did all Erin's paperwork, the trio finally left the clinic.

* * *

After dropping Aria off, Hanna and Erin drove toward the bus stop. As they pulled up, the rain continued to coat the windshield and slosh around in the mushy grass of the park. The last bus to Brookhaven didn't leave for half an hour and Caleb would be getting home from work soon.

Hanna sighed and looked to the girl in her passengers seat, smiling. "I had a cool day with you. You're a pretty brave girl to take a ride and hang out with total strangers."

Erin laughed and nodded. "Well you and your friend are pretty brave to take on a super hormonal girl like me." She looked down as back up, meeting her eyes. "I really appreciate what you did for me. It meant a lot. No one's ever treated me that nicely, especially ever since this," she pointed to her stomach.

"But seriously, you are so brave to be doing this alone. I thought I had it bad, but my mom was amazing and my boyfriend would have given up everything to be there. And he was. You're an inspiration."

"Stop it."

Hanna shook her head defensively. "No, really. Actually, what if you came back to my house tonight? We have a guest room."

"No, you've already done plenty." Erin assured her.

"Please? I can't just let you go back to that shelter. It's taco night!" She pleaded, luring her in with food.

Erin contemplated it a second but finally she answered. "Fine."

"Yay!" Hanna squealed and hugged her. She pulled the parking break and shifted into drive, making their way onto the street.

* * *

When they entered the house, Cooper came bounding out of the kitchen. He immediately slowed down to a halt when he saw Erin standing next to his mom.

"Coop, this is my new friend, Erin." Hanna gestured to the girl.

The boy gave her a questioning look but shrugged it off, extending his hand. "Hi, Erin."

The girl smiled and took his hand to shake. "You're Cooper? Hanna's told me a lot about you, but dude, I wasn't expecting you to be so precious."

Cooper blushed and let go of her hand, backing up. "I'm only five."

Erin laughed at his comment before following Hanna into the kitchen.

Caleb was at the stove fixing dinner when he noticed the new presence in the room. He swiftly turned around and tossed a kitchen towel over his shoulder.

"Hey, beautiful." He greeted his wife, kissing her quickly on the lips.

Hanna kissed him back once more and pulled away sighing. As soon as he noticed the other woman in the room, he jerked his head up and cleared his throat.

"Hi," he greeted the girl unsurely. He looked back at his wife and eyed her questioningly.

Erin looked unsure to say anything back so she settled for a gentle wave back.

Hanna cleared her throat and looked to her husband. "This is Erin. Aria and I met her today while we were out. She's going to be staying in our guest room tonight."

"Ah, ok." Caleb pretended to be fully aware of the situation, though he still had no idea what possessed his wife to bring an eight month pregnant teenager home with her.

Cooper ran into the kitchen from the dining room and looked to all the adults. "Daddy, I finished setting the table." He turned to Erin. "I saved you the seat next to mine."

"The boy has spoken." Caleb laughed, turning back to the stove. "Erin, I hope you like spaghetti, it's my specialty."

Erin nodded and laughed. "I love it."

"It's also the only thing he knows how to cook that's not on the grill." Hanna quipped playfully.

Her husband blushed and agreed. "Yes, so please go easy on me, I'm very sensitive."

* * *

After dinner was over, the family spent more time getting to know Erin and why Hanna had brought her home. It wasn't a big mystery however that she needed proper care as she was about to pop. The couple had also agreed to help the expectant mother arrange an adoption profile so that everything could be in place in the rare case that she'd go into an early labor. She was only five weeks away from her due date, meaning her baby girl could come pretty much any day.

"Hanna, let me be the first to say what we're all thinking; this isn't like you to take a stranger in." Caleb began later that night as they laid in bed.

Hanna switched on the bedside lamp and hung her silk robe on the hook by the bed before climbing in. "I know, I know." She defended. "But you should've seen her, all alone in the rain. And she hadn't seen a doctor in eight months, eight!"

"I understand. And I'm proud that you have a big enough heart not to leave her to fend on her own, but I'm starting to sense an ulterior motive."

He leaned in closer to where he was facing Hanna, who gave him a questioning look, to which he replied. "Are you trying to sweeten Erin up because you want her baby?"

"What?" Hanna gaped. "No! Why would you even think that?"

He held his hands up in defense. "Another thing I'm sure everyone will be thinking when we explain the situation."

"Would it be so bad, though?" She mooned.

"Of course not. I just don't want anyone to think you'd stoop that low. And what happened to us trying for another baby on our own?"

She shrugged. "I just don't know if it's meant to be right now. I'd love it more than anything, but lets face it. Do we really have the best luck in these situations?"

Caleb licked his lips and hesitated what to answer and spoke. "I can't think of a better time to find out."

"Listen, let's just try and focus on Erin right now. Make sure she finds the best couple to adopt that baby, whether its us or not." Hanna smiled warmly and placed her hand to her husband's toned jaw. "After that, we can start trying every second of every available hour, to have our own baby. Okay?"

Caleb nodded and sighed, reaching over and snapping the lamp off. As he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, thoughts of doubt clouded his head. Was Hanna just making excuses for them? Did she even want to keep trying? He figured finally that it wasn't anything he could control. They'd have a baby when the time was absolutely, positively and completely right.

* * *

**Please review!**

**xo**


	14. When You Think You Know What to Say

**__I just want to say thank you to the great amount of response on the last chapter! I'm so glad you all are still hanging by this story, it really means a lot! Without further or do, here is the newest chapter!**

* * *

**_I want something that I want_**

**_Something that I tell myself I need_**

* * *

Doubt. It's the one word that can act as the catalyst in almost any situation. If a person has major doubts on their wedding day, it's simply called "cold feet" and shrugged off as pre-wedding jitters.

Thing is, one doesn't simply get pre-adoption jitters. It doesn't matter how happy the biological mother is to give her baby a better life, it's the doubt she gets from wondering if this family, practically strangers, that she's chosen will be the right fit. It's not like she can step back in and switch choices after the baby's been handed over.

Erin was having one of these identity crises at the moment as she sat on the floor of Aria's living room along with her and Hanna. The week before they'd visited the agency and set up a profile, and now she had been given the files of couples who were looking to adopt.

"I thought this would be easier," Erin groaned and sat back against the bottom of the sofa. She huffed out a breath and reached for her glass of water she had been drinking.

Aria laughed and nodded. "I thought there would be cooler prospective parents, but all of these seem like complete losers."

"Not all of them are bad." Said Hanna, who was trying hard to stay positive. "What about Megan and Dean Kendrick? They're both doctors, they live in the nice part of Connecticut."

"No," the redhead protested. She reached for the file and held it up, pointing at a specific line she had highlighted. "They have twin daughters. And they're only three."

"And those babies seem like the happiest babies on this planet,

Erin shook her head. "I want my baby to be the only one in the family. I'm sure those couples with kids are amazing with them, but I want my baby to know all the love her parents can give. I grew up with two step siblings and two biological sisters. It was hell to grow up knowing there was a brother or sister I'd always have to compete with."

Aria shrugged. "She makes a good point."

"Ooh! Erin, what about Erica and Mark Perkins?" Hanna asked, shoving another file to the girl. "They take yearly trips out of the country. Your baby would travel everywhere. Think about how worldly she'd be!"

"Uh... I don't know." She replied sheepishly. "They have two German Shepard's."

"So?"

"Again, I want my baby to know all their parents' love. Of course I'd love for the parents to get a dog when she's at least a year old, but not right away."

"I agree," Aria commented. "My dad's girlfriend brought her bloodhounds when they moved in, and last Thanksgiving, I swear I saw her leave loaded plates for them on the back porch."

"Ari, you're not helping. We only have so many prospective profiles." Hanna scolded her friend.

A few minutes later as the women continued studying the Manila folders, the kitchen door opened and Ezra walked in from the garage.

"Honey, I'm home." He called from his position, sorting mail at the breakfast bar.

Aria blushed and giggled. "I love it when he says that!" She got up and walked down the hall to meet her husband.

Hanna rolled her eyes and smirked. "I know you said me and Caleb are adorable, to which I completely agree, but those two are the sweetest couple I've ever met. Next to my friend Spencer and her husband."

Erin smiled and went back to reviewing one of the couples'.

Aria led Ezra back to the living room and they sat on the sofa, her back against his chest and his head nuzzling her ear.

Ezra pulled away and playfully squeezed his wife's hip, making her squeal in surprise.

"Guess what Amy did this morning while I was in that meeting!" He said animatedly.

Amy was Ezra's assistant and secretary. Now that he was a "big time author" as friends teased, he was forced to hire someone to help him organize his work life. When he'd mentioned it to Aria, she had of course been a little uneasy seeing as her father didn't set the best example for what TA's and secretaries could lead to. That being said, he made sure she was highly involved in the hiring process. Eventually after many skanky candidates, one stood out; Amy. Aria knew she could trust her because for one thing, she didn't bat for the same team. So far, she had proved to be a great help to Ezra and in turn a good thing for the newlywed's relationship.

"Wait, she didn't book the tickets?" She replied giddily. He nodded in response. "Oh, my God! That's great news!"

He leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips, making sure it stayed PG for their audience.

"Going somewhere?" Hanna asked, teasingly when they pulled apart.

The brunette nodded. "Ezra and I are going to Barcelona for our anniversary next year. It's still in the planning process, since we just celebrated our four year, but it's a start."

"That's amazing!" She replied. "I wish Caleb and I could take a vacation but with his job, we don't want to jeopardize him taking time off while he's still fairly new to the company."

"I think these were the last profiles in the box Mrs. Beacon gave me," Erin said as she stacked the many folders up a few minutes later.

Hanna frowned as she dug through the cardboard filing box. "I guess so."

Aria craned her head above them, checking the floor. "Are you sure this is it? Thirty-six couples and not one stood out?"

Erin nodded solemnly and frowned. "Am I being too picky?"

"No," Hanna was the first to reply.

"I think it's very compassionate of you to care so much about who you're giving your child to. If it were me, and it almost was, I wouldn't want to hand over my baby to some strangers and just hope for the best. I'd want to be sure my decision was for the best."

Aria nodded from her place on the sofa. "Han's right. These things take time and lots of thought. You don't have to even decide until you give birth."

"I know," the young woman whispered, placing a hand on her bump protectively. "It still feels like a ticking time bomb. Always looming over me."

"No, honey." Hanna laughed. "That's the seven pound baby sitting in your uterus, about to pop out like a firecracker in July."

* * *

After they'd left the Fitz house, Hanna and Erin made their way to the grocery store to shop for dinner.

The two women walked up and down each aisle, Hanna pushing the cart and Erin walking leisurely at her side.

"I know Aria said I don't have to make a decision until I actually have this baby, but something tells me I need to make up my mind sooner than later." The redhead murmured as the other woman reached for an item on the highest shelf.

Bringing herself back down on two feet, the blonde sighed. "That's not a bad thing. You should get it over with, but it's not that easy."

"What if I never find a couple?"

Hanna rolled her eyes, replying. "Don't worry. I bet the next couple you review will be the one."

"Where am I going to get more profiles? Mrs. Beacon already sent over the last of the files." Erin cried.

"You have to think positively. Tonight, we can sit down and re-review everyone." The older woman suggested. "Have you ever considered an open adoption?"

Erin shook her head vigorously. "Uh uh. It's going to be hard enough handing over my baby, I can't be tempted by pictures. And what if she ends up with a terrible life and wants me to save her?"

Hanna stopped the girl and turned to face her. "You have got to stop thinking so negatively about this. You're going to find the perfect people to give your baby to. I promise."

"You don't know that,"

"Yes, I do. Everything will work out, ok? I'm not finished helping you through this, not until that baby's out and on its way to Happy Familyville."

"Helping me?" Erin challenged. "Is that really what this is, a charity case?"

"No-"

"You have some kind of burden or grudge,right?" She challenged.

Hanna stood silently, awestruck. "But think that helping a stranger in my situation is going to make it disappear!" Erin shifted her weight to one foot and crossed her arms. "And I thought I could trust you."

Hanna struggled to find her words. This outburst was beginning to get outrageous, and it was certainly the last thing Hanna could imagine to come from the eighteen year old. "What the hell?" She cried, not knowing what else to say. "You can trust me! I'm not just helping you, and sure I do see a little of my teenage self in you, but that's not-"

"Please, we're nothing alike!" Erin seethed. "The only thing we have in common is our bastard pregnancies."

This made the older woman flinch. Bastard pregnancies? Bastard? Cooper was a lot of things; wildly smart, compassionate and obedient beyond any parents' wishes, and the cutest child if she did say so herself... But he was no bastard.

"My son is not a bastard child. How dare you? What is going on with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me, other than my dumb choice to let you help me, probably just to be talked about behind my back." The girl said at barely a whisper's volume. Then turning around, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked towards the supermarket exit.

Hanna abandoned her shopping cart and followed Erin toward the doors. "Where do you think you're going?"

She unfortunately got nothing aside from a wave of the special finger in response. Hanna wanted to follow her outside, but she knew how stubborn Erin and every other pregnant woman could be and decided to let the situation air out a little.

* * *

"Are you sure that was the best idea? She's got no place to go." Aria's voice came through the Rivers' phone later that night.

Hanna sighed and traced the edge of her wine glass, about an inch of the tasteful liquid left. "I dunno, but she said she has friends here, so I'm sure she's ok."

She could hear her friend sigh frustratedly on the other end. "She's obviously just being stubborn. Think about if it were you, would you want anything to do with you right now?"

"Ari, I don't have time for a breakthrough session right now. That's not why I called you."

She could hear her friend sigh through the phone, growing a little more patient. "I'm just saying, you should give Erin some space. After all if you're expecting a baby from her, you have to show her you respect boundaries."

How again did Aria know about Hanna's idea to adopt the baby? Instead of choosing to argue over the subject, she chose to let it go. "I guess you're right." She replied.

"Always am." Aria reminded her friend teasingly. "I'll talk to you in the morning. And if anything happens and she turns up, just call."

"You too."

And with that, the phone conversation was over. Hanna set her phone down on the coffee table and walked back to the kitchen where she found Caleb, organizing mail and bills at the breakfast bar. She smiled and just stared at him, hunched over on a stool, jotting down notes onto a legal pad as he went through the lengthy stack of papers. He was always so sexy when he wasn't even trying to be, and that's one of the things Hanna loved most about him. His charm was so effortless and so was his handsomeness.

She sighed happily and walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and kissing him gently above his clavicle. He laughed and sat up slowly so she could untangle her arms from him.

"Hi," she smiled sadly.

He looked at her with his deep green eyes, and she nearly fell to the floor. They sparkled like nothing before, his honesty and love gleaming through. "No word from Erin?"

Hanna shook her head and sat herself on the stool next to his. "Aria's pissed, I can tell. But she hasn't exactly been scouring the town for her either."

Caleb frowned and slipped his hand over hers on the bar. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve this, and neither does Aria."

"Please refrain from trying to tell me it's not my fault, because it really is. I coddled her too much, and I know it was probably me trying to make up for feeling like such a bad person, but I couldn't help it." She sighed and stared into her lap.

"So what if you did drive her away?" He said jokingly. "It's not like you did it out of spite. I'm sure Erin was feeling overwhelmed and wanted to give the both of you a breather."

"I still should have gone after her." It was true. Hanna was beginning to feel the guilt from letting Erin walk. At first, she did want space to think, but at the end of the day it wasn't just about her needs.

"Have you tried calling her?" Caleb asked, sliding his cell phone across the marble top. Hanna nodded. "And she didn't pick up."

"Do you think she's alright?" She asked quietly. The tears of guilt and self-doubt burned in her eyes as he waited for an answer.

"If she wasn't ok, she would call you. It can't be that hard to get over a petty fight when you're in trouble."

Though his statement wasn't as reassuring as Hanna had hoped it would be, it still made her feel better. It was Erin, and she was stubborn and rash. If she needed her or Aria's help, she wouldn't hesitate to call.

The next night, Hanna laid awake in bed. Sleepiness had run out of her system because her mind wasn't letting her conscience settle down. All she could think about was Erin. After another day without hearing from the girl, everything was beginning to go on edge. Aria had stayed over at their house all day so they could be together if anything were to happen. But nothing had.

Hanna was finally half asleep when her phone buzzed in the bedside table. It startled her awake, and she quickly answered.

"Hello?"

"Hanna," Aria half whispered through the receiver. It was obvious that she was trying to be quiet for Ezra's sake.

"What happened?" She replied frantically. The fear in Aria's voice was small, but still there. Hanna braced herself, preparing for the worst.

"Erin is with me and she's in labor."

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**Don't forget to leave a review! **

**Tay x**


	15. Something I Need

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Pretty Little Liars franchise.**

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_You got something I need_

_In this world full of people, there's one killing need_

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When she had planned what it would be like when Erin went into labor, how everything would go, Hanna imagined herself driving the girl to the hospital, not Aria. She imagined her being the one holding Erin's hand as she pulled through the harsh bouts of contractions, not Aria. And she certainly didn't imagine Erin giving birth to such a dark haired baby, despite the fact she herself was what some would call "ginger".

Everything about the birth was all in slow motion, the way the baby just sort of...slid out. Although in reality it couldn't have been quicker; she arrived after a mere three hours of labor and ten contractions.

Erin had chosen not to hold her baby, so she wouldn't become attached. Instead, the nurse handed the small infant, squawking and squirming, to a dumbfounded Aria who began to cry the second she was put in her arms. The tiny swaddled person in her arms continued to cry out, figuring out just how her strong lungs worked. Aria's eyes were a mix of panic and adoration as she tried to hush the baby. Naturally, instinct kicked in and she began rocking slowly and cooing. Soon the nurses had prepped the scale and took the infant from her.

Hanna circled around the crowd of nurses who tended to Erin and made her way over to where her friend stood over the exam table cooing at the baby. She whimpered and smiled at Aria, who beamed back at her when she noticed her stare.

"She's so beautiful." The dark haired woman whispered, reaching one hand to wipe tears from her eyes.

Hanna nodded. "You looked good with her," she commented. For what it was worth, Aria took to the baby like a real mommy. "Are you sure you're waiting for this?"

Aria paused and looked out the window to see Ezra who was holding Cooper on his shoulders while Caleb seemed to be explaining everything that was going on from the open window. Suddenly it hit Aria that everything was coming together. She whispered barely audibly, "It all seems so essential now."

Almost instantly, she became overcome with excitement.

"You ok?" Hanna nudged her, breaking her out of thought.

"Oh, totally!" Her friend assured her. "Can you excuse for a second?"

Hanna nodded. Once Aria had exited, she turned around to where Erin had been resting to find that she had already been wheeled to another separate room.

Dr. McCall was standing in the corner of the room by where the bed used to sit. "Where's Erin?" Hanna quietly asked.

He looked up and smiled sadly. "We wheeled her back to recovery. She's going to stay there overnight and we'll discharge her in the morning."

"Well where is she gonna go?"

"I'm sorry, but that's confidential information."

"She's homeless," Hanna stated. "What's more public than that?"

The doctor scoffed as he slid Erin's file back into the folder and hung it on the door for one of the nurses to pick up. "If she needed somewhere to stay, the hospital could easily set her up with a living situation. But for now, she hasn't mentioned any need for help."

Hanna stared at the man in disbelief as he left the room without another word. What a douche? Turning back to the orderly who was cleaning up, she mumbled, "Next time I get pregnant, it's going to be a home birth."

Hanna couldn't believe it. Erin, to her knowledge, had nowhere else to go, and she knew that for a fact.

Knowing the only way she could get to the bottom of the situation, Hanna set off in the direction of the rehabilitation ward.

After making a pit stop at the vending machines for a snack and some coffee, she finally made it to Erin's floor. When she came upon the room, the door was open only slightly. Listening closely, Hanna heard could hear a conversation happening on the other side of the threshold. Sneaking up to the room, she knocked quietly.

Erin paused and called out, "It's open,"

Hanna sighed and pushed the door further open and walked in to find Aria sitting in the large lounger by Erin's bedside. "Am I interrupting something?" The blonde inquired.

"Actually, we were just chatting. You're welcome to join us," Aria offered, scooting over in the chair.

She obliged and sat in the small spot that wasn't taken by the tiny woman's behind.

The two women looked to Erin awkwardly expectant of her to say something.

The redhead cleared her throat and did her best to sit up on her mound of pillows. "Aria and I have something to tell you," she began.

Hanna eyed the both of them and willed them to continue, though deep in her own mind she was bewildered as to what this announcement could entail.

Aria let out a deep breath, smiling. "Well, Erin has asked if Ezra and I would adopt the baby."

A grin broke out onto Hanna's face and she felt the figurative bricks which weighed her shoulders down suddenly poof into nothing but relief.

"You're not mad?" Erin confirmed.

She shook her head and with a laugh replied, "How can I be mad?" Her gaze darted to Aria's. "Are you going to really do this?"

The raven haired beauty nodded, eyes watery with tears of content and excitement.

"And what did Ezra have to say about all this?" Hanna mused in a sort of disbelief. Her surprise overshadowed her excitement because she honestly hasn't seen this coming.

"He was hoping I would ask." She finished. "So are you going to be happy for me or not?"

Hanna immediately wrapped her arms around the small woman's torso. After a few seconds of rejoicing the news, she pulled away again and looked pointedly at Aria.

"This isn't just another impulsive decision, right?" She questioned.

In Hanna's defense, Aria had always had a thing for acting on impulse both of emotion and adrenaline. Though each of the liars definitely danced to the beat of their own drummer, Aria was always more drastic with such terms. There was the time in the second grade when she nearly burnt down her dad's shed playing with Ella's craft candles unsupervised, the pink streaks in 7th grade, and not to be forgotten, the three days in her junior year that she changed her major to study Mammalogy after watching "Free Willy" while she babysat Malcolm.

"Oh, come on!" Aria guffawed, playfully shoving her friend. "Trust me. Ezra and I have been talking about starting our family, and when I met Erin, I felt like a door opened that was meant for us to explore."

Erin, who had been listening intently, was close to tears again. She squeezed Aria's hand which she had been holding. "I knew there was a couple somewhere in this world who were meant for my child, and I think that you and Ezra are the one."

"I'm so happy for you guys!" Hanna squealed.

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Later on, Aria and Ezra had gone downstairs to the hospital offices to start the adoption process. It was nearing seven in the morning so Caleb had taken Cooper to Ashley's before heading home to work.

Hanna decided to stay with Erin until she was healed 100% and to make sure she had somewhere to go.

"Knock, knock!" She chirped, entering the girl's room.

Erin was still asleep with her back to Hanna, facing the window. "Five more minutes," she whined.

The blond sighed and set the grande lattes on the bedside table and turned off the god awful reality show that blared from the television. "I brought you Starbucks, so you owe me a little face time."

The redhead slowly rolled over to face her visitor. "I just gave birth. I am exhausted and I need a nap."

Hanna scoffed and sat in the lounger, sipping the heavy brew. "Wait until you really have kids, this will be every morning but ten times worse...with snotty kids crawling all over you and shoving action figures up your nose."

"Okay!" Erin surrendered. "I'm awake. What do you want?"

"Well," she began. "Dr. McCall said that you are only permitted to stay here for 24 hours if you're healthy, which you are so..."

Erin sighed frustratedly. "I'm not moving in with you. You have already given me so much and I really didn't deserve any of it. You don't have to keep saving me."

"PS, I paid the hospital bill." The older woman whispered discreetly.

"What? Hanna! I told you I didn't need anymore help! You were supposed to charge them to my asshole of a stepdad."

"Don't worry," she assured her. "I paid for about a third of it and charge the rest to him. Not including the special bill for the private room."

"I didn't know you were such a badass!"

"I was the Head Bitch in high school, there are plenty of tricks up my sleeve. Tricks I'm sure you haven't even thought of." She replied, tossing her golden tresses over her shoulder.

Erin twiddled her thumbs awkwardly, contemplating speaking. "I know you're wondering, so I will say that I called my best friend up in Philly this morning and she has an open couch." Hanna eyed the girl for a second, before she continued. "Don't worry, she's a student at UPenn. I'm going to see about some jobs up there so I can save for college..."

"I don't think you can do that!" Hanna interrupted her.

"I don't really have any other options, I mean the scholarship fell through months ago..."

"Yeah," she interrupted again, ruffling the girl's feathers a little. "But that was before you knew Hanna Rivers. And let me tell you, when there's a Rivers there's a way... That came out incredibly cheesy." Hanna frowned.

Erin giggled along then cleared her throat. "What kind of connections?"

"Well... Have I told you about my best friend Spencer? Tall, ridiculously smart, married to the Greek god?" Erin shook her head. Oddly enough the only friend of Hanna's she was introduced to was Aria. She had heard stories about the other two friends but never actually met either of them.

After the awkward pause passed, Hanna excitedly continued. "Spencer's older sister Melissa's boyfriend's godfather's sister works in the admissions office at UPenn. I was able to get her email and we've been messaging back and forth since basically the night we met..."

Erin laughed at the way the woman hadn't taken a breath the whole time she was explaining. "Hanna can you please just get to the point?" She asked.

"Right!" Hanna nodded furiously. "Long story short, she saw your transcripts and has offered you a partial scholarship."

"Oh, my God!"

"I know it's not the full ride you had at Vassar, but it's UPenn and even Spencer struggled to get accepted so I guess it's just as smartypants as anywhere else."

Before she could continue her speech, the redhead had enveloped her in a bear hug.

"So you're ok with this?"

"Hanna! Of course!" She said into her shoulder. "You're amazing, thank you."

"I know,"

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**I am so sorry for taking so long to update! As I've said in previous authors notes, I was in a funk. Imagine this: spring of your senior year, A's and B's in every class...except one. It's a class I have to pass in order to graduate, and so far it's not working out. Hopefully I will pass but it's going to mean lots of work for me...and not so many updates for this story. I'm sorry! I will try to get back on track with it, and in some ways I have. Point is, school before fanfiction. I'm sure you'd understand.**

**Anyway, I hope this chapter was up to par with what I owe you thanks to my absence. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts :)**


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